Why White?
by Aria6
Summary: Aizen has won and life in Soul Society is going on. Many female shinigami have been forced to accept arrancar partners, but the new Tercero might have gotten more than he bargained for with Ise Nanao. Her baggage is her captain, Kyoraku Shunsui, and sparks will fly. But who are the strangers wearing masks? Nanao/OC, Nanao/Shunsui/OC
1. Chapter 1

It was a cold, dark night. The sky above was cloudy, shading out the moon and the stars and plunging the streets and homes into darkness. Oil lamps gave a feeble glow, nothing like the more powerful lanterns powered by kido. This was a poorer part of town, although not too poor. Working class and comfortable, but not luxurious.

In this neighborhood there was a park, and in that park was a stream. Over the stream there was a battered old bridge, and standing on that bridge was a figure cloaked in more darkness. There was the tiniest flare of light, a spark as a match was lit. That little glowing ember tumbled over the edge of the bridge, ending in extinction as it hit the water.

Taking a deep drag from the cigarette, the man on the bridge looked into the water and wondered where his life had taken a wrong turn. He'd done what he was supposed to do, hadn't he? He'd followed orders. He'd held the line, gotten the other fucks to actually do their _jobs,_ and in return he'd gotten a promotion and a power blow-job courtesy of the new God and King. Then he'd gotten to pick out a nice bit of ass to warm his bed. What was wrong with any of that?

He sighed as he looked at his hands, the black straps meant to protect his palms. They were more fashion than necessity, now, but he kept them anyway. The rest of his clothing was the same… black leather with tarnished silver buckles. Heavy black boots, knee high. It was all a carbon copy of his Espada uniform, but in black.

 _I hate wearing white._ He thought before taking another drag on his cigarette. Cigs were good, they mellowed him out. Alcohol was bad. He couldn't really remember the last time he'd had it but he knew it tasted great and did bad, bad things to him. If he got on the demon drink he'd wake up lying in a puddle of puke and find his woman dead in the kitchen. And then who would make breakfast and do his laundry?

"Fucking hate white." He grumbled under his breath at that thought. The shit was so hard to clean. His woman tried, she really did, but there was only so much you could do. And he was just a fucking ninja master at finding the worst crap to foul up his uniform with. Once he'd even stood outside and called his woman to get a bucket of water and dump it on him, it was that bad. That uniform had gone right in the trash.

He took another pull of his cigarette, trying to take the edge off his mood. There was no reason for that mood. He'd just woken up in the middle of the night beside his woman and looking at her pale skin in the dark… something had tripped in the back of his brain and he'd needed to get out before he suffocated. The air and the cigs were helping. Soon, he'd get rid of this weird, twitchy feeling and be able to go home. Then he'd climb back into bed with his woman and enjoy the warm blankets. That was always a fine feeling.

Right now, though, he still needed to get the edge off. Glancing up at the sky, he wished he could see the moon. Such a gorgeous thing, the moon and the stars. They reminded him a little of Hueco Mundo although here, the moon changed. It ranged from full to gibbous to a very familiar crescent. He liked it best when it was the crescent. That made him feel at home. Taking another pull from his cigarette, he realized the thing was practically gone. Tossing the butt into the water – littering? Who gave a shit – he pulled out another and lit it with the fine little lighter his woman had picked out. She'd hated that thing he'd done with his nails to light them before. Something about it looking obscene? He had no idea.

There were a lot of things he didn't understand about his woman. He let his mind range over it as he sucked on the newest cancer stick. She was a beautiful woman but she read books all the time. Books… he just didn't see the charm. But then, he'd never had any books. Not when he was alive and sure as hell not when he was dead.

"I want to go home." He murmured before taking another drag from the cigarette. He had that traitorous thought at least once a week. Hueco Mundo was just so _clean_ compared to this place. Do or die, eat or be eaten. There was none of this silly 'social interaction' stuff. Or at least not much and it was always optional. There were no 'meals with the family'… that had been awkward… and no 'monitoring the shinigami.' Was he even any good at that? Well, actually, he knew he was. He just hated it. For a moment he allowed himself to wallow in self-pity and imagine stalking across the sand dunes. Where it was cold and clean and while he might be in pain he never felt… bad…

Sighing, he dropped what was left of his cigarette in the water and walked off the bridge, adjusting the strap that held his spear in place on his back as he moved. He was done here. He felt okay, good enough to sleep anyway, and when he woke up he'd be fine. Although he knew, as he walked, that part of his soul was still in Hueco Mundo. Vaguely, he thought it always would be.

He'd just have to ignore the ache.

* * *

"Oh for fuck's sake." He grumbled, sorting through his uniforms in an effort to find one that didn't have stains. Not that he actually gave a crap but Tousen seemed to believe they should be immaculate. How in hell did the others manage it? Giving up, he picked something and started getting ready. "Why white? Why?" Well, actually, there were a lot of reasons why. Shinigami wore black, hollows were covered in white bones. The sands of Hueco Mundo were white too. It was all pretty appropriate, right? Except it just didn't CLEAN well. Vaguely, he thought he should beat his woman for this but the thought made him shudder. Pushing aside the unpleasant memories that tried to ooze up in the back of his mind – that shit was all the past and he WOULD NOT think about it – he stomped out to the breakfast table. His woman was putting out the food with a miserable look on her face.

"I'm sorry." She said right away, making him blink. "I just couldn't… I tried…" Oh, she knew why he seemed a little pissed. He sighed, taking a chair and slumping into it as he waived away her apology.

"I know, it's fine. Well I mean, it's not fine but it's not your fault." He said, seeing her relax a bit. He'd never hit her but he had yelled at her a time or two, so that was fair enough. "I should see if I can get a special dispensation to wear grey or something." Although it was more likely he'd get a special boot up his ass for even asking. Grimacing, he reached for the water. Nice, cold water in the morning… ah, she'd put in ice cubes and lemon, that was nice. He felt a bit better after a long drink and straightened, before resting his elbows on the table. "So what're you up to today?" He didn't make her stay in the house all day. Sure, it was her job to keep the house clean but it was nothing but a two bedroom flat. Cleaning it took an hour, max. Longer for a spring cleaning but that happened twice a year. Making her stay at home all the time… she'd probably go crazy. He knew he would.

"If you don't mind, I want to go to my Division." She said and he sighed internally. It wasn't really her Division anymore, her taichou had a new fukutaichou, but she still liked to go back.

"Yeah, sure, you do that. Just don't let your taichou stick his hand up your skirt." He said as he ate a mouthful of eggs. She gave him an outraged look as she started eating her own food. It was really nice, eggs and bacon with that seriously spicy sauerkraut stuff. What was it called again? He couldn't remember but he liked the burn.

"Kyoraku taichou would never do that." She said firmly and he was damned sure she was wrong. Oh, he wouldn't do it unless she let him. But if she did let him? That hand would be up there faster than you could say boo.

"Mmm hmm." He hummed softly as she glowered at him. She knew what he was thinking.

"There is nothing between us." She huffed and he let it go, just concentrating on the food. He wanted to finish it and if he said what he was thinking, she'd heave a book at him and he wasn't ready for that yet. However, he'd be ready in a bit. And she had a book right beside her so that'd be funny as all hell.

"Well, I'm done." He said cheerfully as he wiped off the last bit of egg yolk up with his finger and sucked it off. Mmm. "Enjoy the afternoon with Kyoraku. Don't let him pull you under the desk." He stood just as she stiffened before grabbing the book and throwing it at him. He moved to the side and it hit the wall with a thud. "Ain't that disrespectful to the written word?" She'd told him that when he'd tossed a book around, when he was looking for something.

"Get out!" She half-shrieked and he beat it, chuckling. She was fun to rile up sometimes… and they both knew it was all in good fun. Her real temper was _scary_ and when he was in a bad mood, he didn't joke about. After nearly five years together they both understood. Humming to himself, he headed down the street. Time for another day of 'pestering the shinigami'. Could his life get any better?

As it turned out, it could.

"For me?" He looked at the offering in bemusement. A plate of cookies? "What's the occasion?" He asked as he sampled one, automatically checking for any poison or potions. Not that he thought they would try to poison him – that'd be idiotic – but caution was ingrained. The little girl with the tawny hair smiled brightly at him.

"No occasion! We just made too many." She chirped and he shrugged, taking the plate. "We made them for Ukitake-taichou, you see. He was feeling under the weather last night."

"I see." And he did see. She was basically begging him to go easy on her taichou today. Well, the cookies were nice. "There probably won't be much to do today. Maybe he can go home early." He offered and he smile turned a bit relieved.

"Thank you, that would be good for him. Although now we'll have to convince him to go…" Well, that would be for them. He sure as hell wasn't into mothering. A few more platitudes and she was gone, leaving him with the cookies. Six of them… he worked through them slowly, taking his time. Sweets were something he loved but didn't have much of. His woman wasn't a baker and he sure wasn't.

The rest of the day went by at a leisurely pace. He spent a bit of time drilling the shinigami – he'd made that a personal mission, the silly bastards needed some help – then went to check up on Ukitake. He was looking a bit under the weather.

"Vance-sama." Jyuushiro said with a small smile. Not that Vance was his real name.. no, that was Valenncoro. He hated that, though, and always asked to just be called Vance. "I'm almost done those reports for you."

"Mmm, yeah, about that. I don't need those today." He half-lied. He'd wanted them today so he could give them a thorough do-over before handing them in to Tousen. The asshole was a nit-picker and if things were off, he'd send the reports back and expect Vance to get them redone 'properly'. That was just a pain for everyone. But he could always get Nanao to look them over really fast tomorrow. "I was thinking of leaving early, taking my woman out to eat." Well, he hadn't been thinking of it until Kiyone had asked him to be nice. But he'd been thinking of the best way to put it to Ukitake and this was a good one. If he wasn't even there the man would have no reason to kill himself on the paperwork. Although would he leave early? That was up to the girl.

"Oh." There was a shadow of pain on his face and Vance knew why. He didn't like to think of the way a lot of the female shinigami, especially, had been parceled out. Well, spoils of war and all that. Although it felt more like an arranged marriage sometimes. "Well, I'll definitely have them done by then. Was there anything else you needed?"

"Nah, but I wanted to give you a head's up. There's trouble in the Zaraki district." Jyuushiro tried to look polite but Vance could read his mind. He was thinking the Zaraki district was nothing BUT trouble. "More than usual I mean. Some weird fuckers in black robes with masks, no idea what that's about but they can fight." He shrugged slightly. "And that was from an arrancar so I thought you should know." If those bastards could give an arrancar a fight, they'd make mincemeat out of most shinigami. That made him frown a little.

"I see. Thank you." He said politely and Vance made his exit.

The rest of the day went pretty well. After he'd put in enough time, he decided to make a break and head over to the Eighth. His woman would still be there, he was sure. And she was too, handling some forms as her taichou flirted with her. He smiled, just listening at the door for a moment.

"Oh Nanao-chan, please don't be so cold to me~" Kyoraku was teasing, the way he always did. Vance knew that everyone thought the two of them had been screwing for decades but the truth was, they'd never done it. Nanao said it and he knew she was telling the truth, which made it funnier to him. Because while she insisted Shunsui didn't want her THAT way, he was just flirting, Vance was sure he actually wanted her so bad it made his dick hurt. He probably jacked off a lot in the shower.

"Kyoraku taichou! I am busy with the reports that YOU have been letting pile up! And I need to hurry, I feel Vance coming towards me." …Well poodlicious, how the hell had she done that? That did shut Kyoraku up for a moment and when he spoke, he sounded choked.

"That scar faced bastard." Vance frowned, crossing his arms and putting his hands under his armpits. Yeah, he had a scar and it wasn't a pretty one. What of it? "Nanao, has he been…?" What? Beating her? He rubbed his forehead with a grimace. Probably.

"He's fine. YOU won't be if you don't get your work done." Her tone made him grin again. Ah, she was cute when she got all pretend bitchy. And maybe he should stop eavesdropping, he was here for something after all. He knocked on the door and there was a dead silence before he slid the door open. They were both looking at him and while Kyoraku had a great poker face, he could see the flat dislike in his eyes. Nanao just smiled at him and he glanced over the stacks of paper.

"Nice job slacking, Kyoraku." He said cheerfully and saw the man's jaw tighten. "Hey little woman. I was wondering, would you like to get on a nice kimono, put on the makeup and go out?" She looked surprised, but he rarely did this.

"That would be nice." Ah, he loved it when she did that thing with her eyelashes, looking up at him through them. It made her look like a demure schoolgirl and then he really wanted to hump her. "What restaurant?" Ah, right, food then sex.

"I was thinking that nice place down with the banana leaves and the sticky rice." He said easily, watching Kyoraku a bit. The man was looking both deflated and grim. Poor ol' bastard. "Or we could go somewhere new. You fancy some Italian? I could do with spaghetti." He loved spaghetti. Nanao didn't mind it once in a while, although it wasn't her thing. "And I hear their lamb shanks are amazing." That was something she'd like. Along with a good bottle of red wine, they'd have a thing going.

"You know, I would love Italian." She said after a moment of thought and he smiled, leaning over the desk and gently cupping her cheek before sliding his hand behind her head and pulling her into a deep kiss. Yeah, it was cruel to do it right in front of Kyoraku… but some deep, masculine part of him wanted to put the other male in his place. _My woman._ "I just need to finish this."

"Mmm hmm." He hummed, breathing in her scent for a moment before letting go. "I'll be waiting at home." He should get cleaned up too. Damned if he'd wear white on his time off. "Don't take too long." She could get lost in that stack of papers. "Later." As he left he glanced at Kyoraku, managing not to smirk. It was hard though. Damn male instincts.

Jumping into a quick sonido, he went home for a quick shower and a change. He even blow dried his hair, fluffing the silky black strands. Then he frowned at himself in the mirror, examining his scar. It was damned impressive. A raised, keloid scar, it started on the side of his neck, ran over the edge of his chin, over his ear and onto his scalp. The ear was a bit of a mess and he sighed, beginning to arrange his hair over it. Thank god the hair had come back. The scar went onto his cheek, too, but the pattern almost looked decorative. It didn't touch his mouth at all, another thing he was thankful for. He'd seen a guy once with a frozen grin and that hadn't been pretty.

Some hair spray ensured the hair would stay over the stubby thing that was his left ear. When he'd been alive he'd used some weird shit for that and the other guys had told him was a pussy, but he'd decided he didn't care. He didn't like the way his ear looked, at all, and didn't like accidentally brushing a hand over it. The rest of his hair, he let fly around in a carefree way. It was naturally waved, it didn't need much.

The rest of him looked fine. Well, better than fine. Vance knew he'd been a good looking man, before he got those thermite burns. Bright blue eyes, thick black hair, warm brown skin and dimples when he smiled. Those dimples were a lady killer. The scar had kind of fucked it up, but it had never gotten in the way of hook ups. Abandoning the bathroom – he'd lost most of his vanity with the ear – he began getting dressed. Sorting through the clothing, he picked out a dark purple kimono. It was made of silk and really nice, while the color and pattern were forgiving of spills. Perfect for him. Humming softly, he even put on a fundoshi. Ah, learning how to wear those had been a pip. He still remembered that conversation with Tousen and how the shinigami had asked what he'd worn when he was alive. 'Nothing' hadn't been the right answer. It was mostly what he wore now, though, except when he was feeling all fancy.

He was all done and trying to read one of Nanao's books when she got home. Well, actually, he was looking at the pictures. It was some kind of instruction manual and had illustrations. Of course, that made her give him a peculiar look. He wasn't much of a reader and advanced kido wards wasn't exactly something an arrancar could use.

"I'm looking at the pretty pictures." He answered her look and she snorted before smiling and going to the bathroom. He kept flipping through the book. It wouldn't take her long, maybe even less time than he'd taken. She probably wouldn't shower.

He was right about that and soon she was wearing her own kimono. It was dark blue and he thought it looked nice with his purple. She was wearing a bit of makeup, too. Just a touch, enough to bring out those lovely purple eyes. He thought sometimes those eyes were why he'd picked her. Purple was his favorite color. Setting down the book on the coffee table, he stood up.

"Ready to go, Nanao?" Vance asked. He'd used to call her honey, but she hated that so he'd stopped. Little woman she would take, as long as he didn't overdo it.

"Yes." She said with a smile and then they were out the door. When they reached the restaurant he held the door open for her, being a gentleman. Not that he was anywhere near perfect on that, but he was trying. It didn't take long for them to be seated and as the waiter brought them some wine and water, Vance glanced around. It was a nice place, with pretty murals on the walls. Nothing like the hole in the wall dump he'd known when he was alive, the place that had made the best damned pasta he'd ever tasted.

Nanao got the glass of wine but Vance just had water, sipping it slowly. She didn't ask about that… she knew his problem and that was the reason they didn't have any alcohol in the flat at all. Out in public like this, he could watch her drinking it without a problem. But having that stuff in his own home… that was tempting fate. Glancing over the menu, he checked out the appetizers.

"Hey, this beef carpaccio sounds nice." It came with parmesan cheese and toast. That sounded really good. "It'd go well with the wine." Cheese went well with wine. He remembered that much although his tastes had run to harder things. Nanao looked over the appetizers with a thoughtful look.

"Can we get the calamari as well?" She asked. She knew he didn't like calamari, the texture just didn't do it for him. He nodded though. She could have it and he'd try a bit, for variety. "Hmm…" Now they were looking at the main dishes and something caught his eye.

"Oh man, I'm getting the paella." He was pretty sure if he got pasta he'd end up comparing it to that place he couldn't go back to, the spot he'd spent a good part of his life. But paella now, that had been a rare treat. Maybe they'd even make it with real saffron. It didn't take much and really added to the flavor. "The mixta." That one had beef and chicken in it as well as seafood.

"I'm getting the gnocchi." She said decisively, closing her menu. He closed his as well, the universal sign that decisions had been made. The waiter came not long after and took their order.

The first thing out was the carpaccio and it was just amazing. Vance took a piece of toast, layering it with the sliced beef, parmesan cheese and the green stuff. Was that arugula? It had a peppery bite and was strong enough to stand up to the cured beef. The calamari was good too, for calamari. It had been lightly fried and served with a lemon sauce. He still didn't like it but he could tell it had been made well.

As they ate, they talked about all the little things. How her day had gone, how his day had gone and what they were planning to do. Nanao was going to be going over to the Eighth tomorrow because the paperwork was just a _mess_ and what did his new fukutaichou think he was doing? Vance didn't point out that he was sure Kyoraku was hoarding papers just to see her. Although that was likely to backfire. Should he get involved? Eh, maybe, he'd think about it.

"This is the best damned paella I have ever tasted." He said approvingly as he ate it. Ah, wonderful texture and so flavorful. Savory but not spicy. "These whole shrimp are a nice touch." He said before sucking on one, getting the brains out. Mmm.

"Is that how you eat those? I've never really been sure." Nanao said and he nodded before setting aside the emptied shell.

"When they're this size, they taste like lobster." Although that was a bit funny because lobster had been cheap meat, on the coast. He'd always liked it, when it was made right anyway. Nothing worse than overcooked lobster. "Want to try one?" He'd gotten three of the big ones, there was one left.

"If you don't mind?" She said and he nodded. She forked over the crustacean. "Would you like to try the gnocchi?"

"Sure." Although he was sure it'd suffer compared to memories of his mom's home cooking. Damn the nostalgia. He was almost glad Nanao mostly cooked Japanese food. He had no frame of reference for what that should be like. The gnocchi was nice, though, silky and creamy. Just not quite as good as mom's. "It's nice." Better than anything he could have made, that was for sure.

Dessert came and went, with Vance hardly tasting it. He was too interested in the way Nanao was savoring her chocolate soufflé, the way she licked the spoon and the bliss on her face. Ah, he wanted to bone her bad now. And from the glances she gave him, the small smirk on her face, she knew exactly what she was doing to him. How soon could they get out of here? The waiter better be prompt with the bill.

Thank god, he was. Vance checked it over quickly to make sure they weren't being overcharged before putting the cash on the table. He waited for the man to pick it up and give their change, but then they were out the door. As they walked he put an arm around her waist, holding her close, and she cuddled up. He breathed in her scent, just taking it in. That little hint of peony perfume was just so Nanao. And the way her body felt against him…

When they got home, he managed to restrain himself from attacking her, but it was a struggle. As she turned on the bedroom lights she chuckled softly, glancing at him. Then she reached for her obi, and he swallowed before reaching for his clothing. He wanted it off.

There were no words then, just naked passion. Both their kimonos ended up on the floor, rumpled and discarded as he mounted her body. But as aroused as he was, he wouldn't go to the main course too quickly. Vance kissed her, exploring her body with callused fingers. Nanao's gasp of pleasure as he tweaked her nipple, the warm scent of her arousal… ah, it was heavenly. For a moment he thought about getting the lube out but then decided against it. Tonight would be all natural.

Smiling into her face, he kissed her again before going down. Her breath caught in her throat and he knew why… he didn't do this for her every day and she loved it when he did. Well, today would be her lucky day. He gripped her thighs before sliding his tongue through her folds, pleased to find she was already wet. It was nice to be wanted. He concentrated on pleasing her then, exploring her channel and teasing her clit. She wiggled a little and her hands went through his hair, disturbing it. He hoped she didn't pull it off his left ear, although the scar had never seemed to bother her none. Ah, vanity, wasn't that a sin?

A sweet moan and tug of his hair recalled him to the task at hand. Ah, she smelled so wonderful, her musk filling his nose. How far should he take this? All the way. Yeah, that was right. He thrust his tongue into her channel, hearing her gasp as the scent of arousal got even stronger. She was close. Just a little bit more…

Her half-shriek was a wonderful sound, and so was the way her hands tightened on his scalp as her muscles flexed. He licked up the sweet dew, enjoying the taste. Giving her clit a final flick, he moved up her body, settling between her thighs. Hazy violet eyes looked up at him and he smiled at the bliss on her face. She did love it so much when he did that. Giving her a moment, he toyed with her right breast, nuzzling her throat. Then he breathed in her ear.

"You ready?" He wanted to take her so bad now. She nodded and he positioned himself before sliding past her folds, into that tight, wet warmth. She cried out softly, her thighs gripping him as he began to take her with quick, powerful thrusts. As he looked into her face, for a moment he almost saw a different face, long red-gold hair and a splotch of dark brown on pale skin…

Thankfully, that faded and all he saw was Nanao. Beautiful Nanao, caught up in the throes of passion… and then her little hand reached up, running over his scar, tracing down his neck and that grounded him even more in the moment. That scar hadn't been there before. Then he totally lost any grip on that thought as her tight heat flexed around him. Muttering a curse, he struggled for control even as he took her with increased urgency. Shit, it felt so good but he was damned if he'd let go too soon! Her soft laugh made him growl and he caught one of her nipples in his mouth, giving it a hard suck. Her startled cry and arch made him grin to himself. What a wonderful thing that was.

Gripping her hips, he adjusted the angle. He felt it as the head of his cock brushed her cervix and that was the end for them both. Her insides rippled with her second orgasm, and he exploded just a moment later, grinding against her as he filled her with hot bursts of cum.

"Shit woman, the things you do to me." He said hoarsely, resting his forehead on the pillow beside her. She reached up and stroked his scar again, making him shiver a bit. That was ticklish.

"You do the same things to me." That made him feel warm inside. They'd been forced together, really. Aizen had practically told them to take some bitches and he'd picked her at random. So it was good, knowing Nanao really wanted him. "And you're heavy." She muttered and he chuckled tiredly before lifting himself up and untangling their bodies.

"Sorry." He did that sometimes, forgetting she wasn't another arrancar. Those women wouldn't even notice his weight but she was more delicate. And to tell the truth, he loved that about her. He settled in beside her with a smile, reaching down to grip the sheet and pull it over them both. Nanao sighed, snuggling against him as the sweat began to cool. Closing his eyes, he settled in to sleep.

With any luck, he wouldn't wake up too soon.


	2. Temper, Temper

His hands were shaking with rage as he looked at the broken plate on the table. His throat was hoarse from yelling and as he looked up, he saw his woman cowering in the corner of the room, her violet eyes wide. The smoke from the burnt food stung his nose as he grimaced, running his hands through his hair. The snap of the porcelain breaking had brought him back to reality and he took a deep breath, controlling the anger.

 _Close your eyes. Count to ten._ That was the mantra and he closed his eyes, counting to ten in Japanese. He followed that with Portugese, then Swahili. He could have gone on to Italian and Arabic, but he didn't need to. Three times was enough. The anger was fading into disgust at himself. His woman was terrified because he'd gone off on her over some burned broccoli. God… damn… it…

"I need a smoke." He muttered. He felt closed in, like the air might choke him. He needed to get out. Quickly leaving the house, he pulled out his cigarettes with shaking hands and he lit one. The taste of tobacco always soothed his temper. What would he do without it?

His woman let him smoke in peace, which was the smart thing to do. But then, she wasn't dumb. He was onto his third cancer stick when he heard the creak of the door, soft footsteps. He just looked away, the guilt weighing on him. He hated himself when he did things like this, he really did.

"I'm sorry." And that made it worse. He dropped the cigarette, crushing it with his heel before turning to her. Her eyes were a bit red behind her glasses and it made him want to kill himself. Had she been crying?

"Nanao." He pulled her against him, holding her against his chest and resting his cheek against her hair. "Don't apologize. I have a black bitch of a temper and that's not your fault." Was it even his fault? Or was this just something he'd been born with, his cross to bear? Well, if it was his cross he damned well needed to stop dropping it on her. "I've just had the shittiest day." His rage had been building for hours and when he'd come home to a flat full of smoke it had just been the last straw in a day full of straws.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her voice was small but he could feel her relaxing against him, her hands catching on the strap across his chest. Vance sighed, still tasting the nicotine. Did he want to talk about it? Not really, but maybe she deserved to know.

"Well, I guess it kind of started with the neighbors' rooster bouncing me out of bed. Ought to kill that thing." He said sourly. She'd managed to sleep through the serenade, somehow, and he hadn't woken her. "Then I was slated for new arrancar training." Aizen was still breaking masks and bringing more troops in. Things were not that stable. "Those fuckwits… they were so bad with their cero they might as well have been throwing rocks. Then when I got onto them one of them went full retard and tried to attack me." In resurrection, no less. "So I killed the dumbass and got blood all over my uniform and had to go home and change." That had been a piss off for sure. "Then, when I was going back, a pigeon shat on me." Fucking amazing aim, really, given that he'd been in sonido. "So I had to go home and change AGAIN." People looked down on pigeon shit. Go figure. "Then I got in and found out Tousen had been looking for me and was pissed that I wasn't there. Then I had to endure a lecture about killing that dumbass and my professionalism in general." That pissed him off just thinking about it and he closed his eyes for a moment, just holding her. "So then I punched a hole in the wall." Ukitake's shinigami had all been terrified. His temper had been smoking. "And I came home and when the kitchen was almost on fire I just lost it." He wasn't proud of that at all. All the rage and bile he'd been holding in had just vomited out on her and that wasn't right. "I'm sorry." He murmured as he stroked her hair.

"It's fine. I've had days like that." Her hands slid behind him, finding the cut-outs in his uniform. They revealed his shoulder blades and his mask fragments. Two angel wings, the left one whole and the right one broken and pieced together. They looked a bit like raised tattoos and she ran her fingers over them, making him shiver. "Although I usually come home and take a long bubble bath." …That sounded way too girly for him. They stayed that way for a moment and Vance just let himself take comfort in her. "Vance?" She looked up and he met those big violet eyes. "Did a pigeon really poop on you?" There was held back mirth in her voice and he sighed.

"Yes, a pigeon really shat on me." He said seriously and she giggled, letting go to put a hand over her mouth. He gently let go of her as she smiled, her eyes nearly glowing. For a moment, he was struck by how beautiful she was.

"I have a lot of laundry to do, don't I?" She asked and he winced.

"Oh god." He'd almost forgotten. "Yeah… the bloody uniform is in the sink, still soaking." He knew by now that if you were going to save bloodstained white, you had to get it in cold water first thing. "The other one's by the machine." He had no idea what to do for pigeon shit. "Why don't you start that while I clean up the kitchen?" There was still that burned mess to take care of. And while cooking was woman's work, he knew how to scrub a pan. "Did you want to order in?" She shook her head.

"No, the roast is fine and there's rice in the cooker and salad in the fridge." Ah, it was just the broccoli that'd gotten fucked up? Well, that would make his job easier. As he got to work scraping out the mess he could hear her exclaiming over his uniform. Well, that streak of bird poop was impressive. The fact that he'd been in sonido had made it worse, splattering it good. After the pan was cleaned and the clothes were in the washer, they settled in for supper. It was okay, the roast was nice and pink. The fried rice with soy sauce was pretty good. His woman could definitely cook.

There was no sex that night. Almost from the start, Vance had decided that he would never ask for sex after he went off on her. For two reasons… first off, she might be scared to say no. Second, there was nothing less sexy in the fucking universe than a man yelling in your face. So overall, asking for sex after a blow up was just a giant dick move and he wouldn't do it. Instead, he just put on his pajamas and settled into bed with her. She fit neatly against him, her back up against his chest, and he was just glad she was willing to be in the bed with him. Once or twice, she'd told him to go sleep on the sofa. And he'd done it, because it was a kind of penance. Sighing to himself, he closed his eyes.

He wished he had fewer things to do penance for.

* * *

Vance frowned as he stood in the doorway of the bathroom, watching his woman popping out a little pill out of a long ring of 'em. The ring was half empty, the little plastic curling from where she'd taken out the others.

"Nanao." She stiffened a little before popping the pill in her mouth. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Why you still taking those? It's a waste of money." The little kido pills were really nice but they were also expensive. Why was she bothering?

"I'm not ready for a child with you." She said firmly and he opened his mouth only to stop as she held up a hand. "And subfertile is not the same as infertile."

"It might as well be. I'm at ten percent motility!" He argued. He'd spoken to Unohana about it – he trusted her way more than Szayel – and his sperm was shit. Not that it was any kind of surprise. The only real surprise was that he HAD active wigglers at all. "And that's if cross species pregnancies are even possible." It hadn't happened yet, but it had only been five years. "You're just throwing money down the drain."

"I don't care. I'm too young and we're not ready." She said and he dropped it. They had this conversation maybe once every three months and it always went the same. Grimacing, he went to put on his uniform.

 _Will we ever be ready?_ That thought made his hands itch for a cigarette. His temper, hid god damned, black bitch of a temper. He needed to control it better, he knew that. But fuck, how? He'd gotten so much better over the years but that demon temper was just part of him. He knew that from the other kind of explosion, the more dangerous kind… "Shit." He muttered as he slumped at the breakfast table. He might as well admit it, he wanted a kid. But what kind of father would he be? Kids could be annoying as hell and what would happen if he had a rough day at work then? Maybe… maybe he should start going somewhere, the bridge maybe, before going home? Yeah, maybe he would try that. Although even if he convinced her to go off the pills it'd take a miracle for his one lonely l'il guy to hit that target…

"Vance." Huh? He looked up with a blink to see her glowering at him. "Don't smoke inside." Wait, what? He looked down at his hand and the smoking cigarette there in bemusement. When had that gotten there?

"Sorry." He'd really spaced out for a moment, managing to light a cig and start smoking without even noticing. He frowned before catching the lit end between his fingers, snuffing it out. "So where are you going today?" He asked casually. She hesitated for a moment before beginning to put out the food.

"I was going to see my family." Ah, them. Such an assortment of dried up old pussies. They did not approve of him AT ALL. Still, he wasn't going to keep her away from them. And if she wanted to see them without him, so much the better. In fact, maybe…?

"Have fun." He said easily and saw her relax a touch. She knew he didn't like them. But then, it was mutual. "You can see them as much as you like, just don't make me come, it's all I ask." That made her chuckle softly.

"They don't want to see you either." She said cheerfully and he smiled as he tried the fish. Fish for breakfast, that was different but he liked it. With rice of course and something green for 'health'. He loved healthy food – oh wait, no he didn't. "Eat your vegetables." Aw, she'd spotted that.

"Fine, fine." He sighed before humoring her, trying a forkful. They weren't that bad actually, had some spice to 'em. "They're okay." He allowed before taking a long drink of water. Ah, water in the morning, he loved it. They ate in silence and soon he was done. "Well, I better get going." He said before he stood. He had a busy day ahead of him. She nodded and they shared a kiss before he made his exit.

His busy day consisted of patrols, starting in the Zaraki district. Something was really going on down there and people were looking awfully thin on the ground. The few he saw were pretty much terrified of him. Vance took his time, scanning with everything he had, but he couldn't even find any hollows. Things got more fruitful when he went on the neighboring districts and before long, he had a few hollow kills under his belt. But none of the fuckers with masks. Were they avoiding him because he was an Espada?

Chewing thoughtfully on that, he made his way back. Instead of going right back to Ukitake's Division, though, he made a stop at the Eighth. He hesitated, though, when he reached the door he was looking for. Did he want to do this?

As he stared at the door, he thought about it. He'd been contemplating this for a while. Subfertile might not be infertile but without some really invasive treatments, the odds that he could knock her up were basically zero. And convincing her that it was time to be a mother… ugh. He wasn't sure he could do that in a million years. Although five years wasn't too long and –

"Ahem." AH SHIT! He nearly jumped out of his skin, turning around with wide eyes. "Is there some reason you're hovering at my door?" Vance mentally cursed himself in five different languages as he tried to get his heart rate under control. What kind of a dumbass was he, letting someone as powerful as Kyoraku sneak up on him while he was spacing out?! Did he have a goddamned death wish?!

"I, uh, was looking for you." Smooth, very smooth. Shunsui lifted his eyebrows, his face impassive. "Er… fuck." Not the best opening lines and he was off his game, seriously off. "Can we talk somewhere private?" The hallway in front of his office was not private at all.

"Very well." That had all the warmth of an icicle. Well, he'd expected that. Maybe this was a bad idea but it was too late to bail out now. Swallowing nervously, he followed Kyoraku into the office. "Would you like some sake?"

"What? Ah, I mean, no." Vance was startled by the offer. Kyoraku hadn't heard? "I have problems with booze." He explained as he took a seat on the cushion. "Tea would be alright." He wasn't into tea but it beat the hell out of sake. That stuff would really push his buttons. He took a seat, seiza style, as Kyoraku made the tea.

"Oh really? That's too bad." And that was about as real as a three dollar bill. Vance sighed to himself as he reached up to rub his forehead. Maybe this had been a bad idea. This man pretty much hated him but, well, who wouldn't in this situation? And maybe they could get past that. The tea came and he tried it. It was bitter and he wished for some cold water with lemon. He doubted Kyoraku kept anything like that around his office, though. "I can see you're uncomfortable, Espada-san. While I understand that you don't want to distress Nanao-chan, perhaps you should just deliver your message." …What? Vance stared at him blankly for a moment before he understood.

"I'm not here to bring you bad news." That was a totally logical thing to think, though. He'd done it a few times over the years and had always tried to be nice about it, for Nanao's sake. "I'm just here for me." He said and Kyoraku sipped his tea, his eyes hooded. Damn the man was hard to read. "Look, can I ask you something?" He didn't get much of a response so after a moment, he forged onwards. "You ever fucked a guy?" From the look on Kyoraku's face, that was the last thing he'd expected to come out of his mouth. But then he frowned.

"What business is that of yours, Espada-san?" He asked sharply and Vance leaned forward a bit, his gaze intense.

"Look, just humor me and answer the question, alright?" If Kyoraku wasn't into guys at all this shit wasn't going to work. The man stared at him for a moment before answering.

"I'm a thousand years old. I prefer women, but I have had a few male lovers. Why do you want to know this, Espada-san?" From the guarded look on his face, Kyoraku was expecting something fucked up. Well, it was kind of fucked up, that was for sure. Vance took a deep breath before laying it all out.

"I'm wondering if you're interested in a threesome." He said baldly and shock briefly passed over Kyoraku's face before he controlled it. "Before you tell me to fuck myself, let me tell you why." He leaned forward again, meeting Kyoraku's eyes. "I know you want to bone her. You've got it really bad." The old man swallowed before scowling, his eyes narrowing. Vance kept going before he could take offense. "And I see the way she talks to you. Not sure why the woman's so demon-damned determined to deny it, but she likes you." That made a brief bit of anguish flash through those steel-grey eyes, although none of it reached his face. "Thing is, she talks like that to me now too." Nanao was gradually moving on, Vance was sure of it. And that was a good part of why Kyoraku hated him. "But I can't give her what you can." That hurt a bit but he'd had a long, long time to come to terms with it. Way longer than five years, really.

"What do you mean, Espada-san?" Kyoraku asked, frowning now. Vance sighed before explaining.

"You know I was broken, right?" He asked and Kyoraku just looked at him. "I lost a wing when I was just an adjuchas. That froze my evolution and made me sterile." His eyes widened a bit at that. "When I pulled the troops together and fucked up those guys at the Eleventh, Aizen decided I had potential and used his new powers to fix my mask. Then he fed me power to evolve me." They'd all been a bit surprised when he topped out at vasto lorde levels. That had given him the rank of Tercero. "My sperm is alive now, but it's really shitty. Ten percent motility. The usual is fifty." Most of his l'il guys couldn't swim worth a damn. "She says she's too young but someday, I'd like a kid in the house." He wouldn't really mind if it wasn't his. He'd helped raise one kid that wasn't his, as an adjuchas. Kyoraku hesitated before leaning forward and it was his turn to get a hard stare.

"If you're serious about this, Espada-san, there's a few things we need to talk about." Oh this was going to be fun. "Firstly, why should I take to bed the man who raped my Nanao-chan?" …Hey! "I hate the way you treat her. You are nothing but a weak minded bully, taking your rage out on the helpless." Vance flinched a little at that. It wasn't the whole truth but it had enough reality in it to sting. "Why should I overlook any of this?" He asked and Vance steadied himself before answering.

"Well, first off, it's the only way you'll get in her pants." That was a hard truth and Vance saw Kyoraku's eyes narrow with anger. "Second, I didn't rape her." He said flatly and held up a hand as Kyoraku opened his mouth. "When Aizen gave her to me and bound us together, I gave her a choice. She could be a cook and a maid and we'd go our separate ways, or she could join me in bed too. She decided to sleep with me." He could remember that moment five years ago, the way she'd fiddled with her obi as she thought about it. Then how she'd looked at him through lowered eyelashes before saying she wanted to fuck him. Vance had no idea why Nanao had made that choice, except that she thought he was kinda sexy. But it was definitely the choice she'd made. "No one'd say that was rape." Kyoraku's face tightened and Vance could tell the man didn't want to believe him. Then he looked away and Vance was sure he was trying to accept it. "And I'll tell you the truth. I hate the way I treat her too." God damn his temper. "But I'm not just a bully. It might be easier if I was." Vance said with real regret, because… "It doesn't happen often – survival instinct is powerful – but four times in my life, twice as a living man and twice as an adjuchas, I have totally lost my shit on someone who could have killed my sorry ass." Kyoraku looked back then, a touch surprised. "This black bitch of a temper is real. I can't just make it go away." To his mind, that was a sure sign of it. If his temper could make him do things that were flat out suicidal, he wasn't just a bully.

"Can you expand on that, Espada-san?" Kyoraku asked and Vance sighed before reaching for a cigarette. If he was going to hash out the past, he needed a smoke. Although…

"D'you mind if a smoke?" He asked and Kyoraku waved it away. He lit the cigarette with fingernails and blinked as he heard the man snort. Glancing up quizzically, he saw Kyoraku's lips were twitching. What did that look like to them? Shrugging it away, he took a deep drag of his cig before beginning to talk. "The first time I lost my shit was when I was twenty." Maybe before that if you counted things that'd happened when he was a kid or drunk, but Vance didn't think that really counted. Kids had temper tantrums and drunks were drunks. He'd done this stone cold sober. "I was in a mercenary company in blackest Africa." How he'd gotten there was a story but he wasn't going into that. "We had a bunch of newcomers, just arrived a few days ago. I was carrying a big jug of water to the wash station when I heard a weird noise." Vance took another blow from the cancer stick. Even just thinking about this made him angry. "I went to see what it was and there was one of the new guys raping one of our women." She'd been one of the negro women, too, which meant she was probably married. Those colored men often brought their wives when they joined the camp. "Motherfucker had a gun to her head and I dropped the jug of water as I screamed at him to stop but it was too late. He shot her right in front of me." Kyoraku sipped his tea. As far as Vance could tell, the story wasn't affecting him much. But then, he was a thousand years old, he'd probably seen all kinds of shit. "I saw red." That wasn't just an expression. When things like this happened it was like a red film over his mind. "I charged that motherfucker, screaming, and he was so unnerved he actually missed." It had been point blank range. He should have been dead. "Then I was wrestling him for the gun and I got it away from him and started beating him with it." Vance was sure he would have beaten him to death but – "Then the other guys showed up and got us separated. That asshole tried to claim I'd done it but that was just a fucking joke, his pants were still down." Vance remembered that he'd still been fighting against the guys holding him, trying to reach the asshole. "Then the captain showed up. He took one look at the shit show and pulled out his gun and shot that fucker." That had finally calmed him down, seeing that bastard die. Vance shrugged before taking another pull of the cigarette.

"The second time I lost my mind was when I was working for the boss, maybe fifteen years later. I was a made man by then." Would Kyoraku know what that meant? Oh, who cared. "The boss wanted us to burn down this restaurant." Vance could remember scouting out the place. It had been the poor side of town and the restaurant had just been a hole in the wall dive, really. Ah, the smell of horse shit, the screams of the little kids running around, the cries of the fishmongers hawking their wares… it all came back so easily. "A message to the guy who owned it. I did some scouting and realized there was a problem. A woman living on the upper floor, looking after a whole passel of kids." At least eight of them. "The fucking fire ladder was broken and even if it wasn't, most kids couldn't climb it." Fire codes hadn't been much of a thing back then. "So I went to the boss and said, boss, we have a problem. We can set that place on fire and make sure it doesn't spread – that was important, you don't set the whole neighborhood on fire – but there's this woman and a bunch of kids." Vance paused before reaching for his tea and taking a sip. His mouth was getting dry. "I figured he'd say something like, yeah that's a problem lets' detail a few soldiers to get her and the brats out before we light the place up." That would have been cool with him. After all, she was just renting the place and probably didn't own much. "But that wasn't what he said." Again, the anger came back and Vance had to go for his cancer stick. "Motherfucker just laughed and said she was just an Irish bitch and the kids were fucking Irish too, forget about it. They breed like fucking flies Vance!" He could hear the venom in his own voice and Kyoraku blinked, staring at him. "I lost. My. Shit. I got in his face and started calling him every fucking name in the book and believe me that was _crazy._ This was a man who had people chopped up and melted down in lye, and I was screaming in his face." Kyoraku took a deep breath before taking another sip of his tea. "I think the only thing that saved me was he was as surprised as anyone. The look on his face was like 'holy shit what is THIS?'" Sort of funny in retrospect. "He would have got over it and shot me but Gino and Dino saved my bacon. Dino got a hand over my face and started hissing in my ear _shut up shut up shut up_ and Gino started talking really fast to the boss. He was like, but boss, we're going to the Children's festival next week and Don Luzzato's going to be there and he's bringing his kids and the priest and everything and it'd be disrespectful to kill kids' right before the Children's festival, right? We don't want to be disrespectful, right boss?" Vance shook his head. "Those assholes were all about respect." He'd kept his feelings to himself but he'd always felt it was bullshit. Like trying to put a veneer on rotten wood. "Anyway, I managed to pull myself together and apologize and the boss admitted it might be disrespectful and we all managed to forget about it. But I came this close." He raised a hand and made the gesture for that, his thumb and first finger almost together. "That enough or do you want me to go on?" Wasn't that enough to prove that he was a crazy motherfucker, not just a bullying prick?

"Please go on Espada-san. I'm finding this rather interesting." Kyoraku said thoughtfully and Vance quirked an eyebrow at him before shrugging. If he wanted to hear it…

"The first time I lost my mind as an adjuchas was when I lost my wing." He said that with deep regret. If it hadn't been for that, he would have had a way easier time. "I was a pretty new adjuchas and I'd picked up a mate. We weren't in love or any bullshit, but she was alright." Adjuchas were all a bit batty and she was no exception, but they'd gotten on okay. "Then this asshole started hunting us. He was way more powerful and pretty soon we were in deep shit. He cornered us and laughed when he saw one of us was a woman. He told me if I gave him the bitch, he might let me live." Vance looked down at his cigarette. It was almost done, he'd need another soon. Well, might as well finish it off. "I was actually thinking about it. We weren't in love… but then he said he'd eat her when he was done fucking her and I lost my shit." The red haze again. It had come over him without a bit of warning and then he'd gone off like a rocket. "I actually killed the fucker but it cost me my wing." That had been rough because his woman hadn't been interested in a sterile, non-evolving hollow. They'd parted ways not long after that.

"Anyway." Vance shook those memories away. He wouldn't linger on the hurt. "The last time I popped my cork was in Los Noches." It'd been a fucking pip too. "I really should have died. You know Yammy?" He might not. The bastard as dead, thank kami. Otherwise Vance figured he'd already have been found in bits and pieces, Tercero or no Tercero. Kyoraku shook his head. "He was the fucking Cero, the strongest of us all. But his power was slow to build so when he was sealed, he was the Decimo." That was important for the story. "It happened in Halibel's wing." Another thing that'd kept him breathing. "I was just wandering around and I happened to come across him tearing the clothes off another arrancar." Vance pinched out the cigarette before pulling out a new one and lighting it. "Maybe I could have ignored that but I knew that guy. He was a friend of mine and I knew Yammy killed everyone he fucked." That was deliberate, he liked fucking people to death. "I was frozen for a moment but then the guy saw me and said Vance, help… and that was when I lost it." Vance took a drag from his new cigarette, cooling the rage. "I went off on that asshole. His power was slow to build so I got some really good hits in but then he punched me through a wall and broke half my ribs." That incredible pain had shocked him back to something like sanity. "And I realized I was in deep doody. My buddy had run off and I didn't blame him a bit." He'd have done the same thing. "So I ran for it. And I had an idea… Halibel didn't like guys but she didn't like rapists either and Yammy was fucking around in her wing. So I went for her." It was all he'd had. "I don't know if she would have helped or not but when I burst into the room, Mila Rose was right in front of me. I grabbed her and yanked her in front of me." Not something he was exactly proud of but he'd been desperate. "And Yammy bust through the wall and punched her in the face." He'd meant to hit him but Yammy was a bit slow on the uptake. "That made all of them go off and I got out in the confusion." Seeing one of her fraccion assaulted right in front of her… Halibel had gone off almost like he did. "I was really lucky that the final battle was a week later and Yammy got killed. I wasn't really his type but I bet he'd have made an exception for my sorry ass." And being raped to death was definitely not his preferred way to go. "I did have to apologize to Halibel on my knees." She was the Segunda now and while she hadn't hunted him down when he was just a numero, she'd been pissed to see him again as an Espada. Vance had practically licked her boots. Well, using Mila as a shield had been a dick move, he'd take his punishment like a man.

"What you're telling me, Espada-san, is that you're a berserker." Kyoraku observed and Vance looked at him in surprise. That… was a great way to put it, actually. "And you can't help how you behave towards my Nanao-chan." There was anger behind that calm surface and Vance winced.

"Not exactly. I can help it, mostly. I only go off on her maybe twice a year." That was twice too many but it was still pretty good, considering he had way more shitty days than that. But the other days he managed to swallow it, count to ten, smoke his cigs and behave like a reasonable person. "I guess I'm just saying it's all the same thing. And that's why Nanao's scared of me when I blow up on her. I've never touched her and I never will, but she can feel that danger inside me." It was a real thing, that potential for violence. "And that's the other reason I want you involved in this." Vance felt a sting as he said the words but this was definitely something he should share. "I could go off on Tousen someday. I could go off on _Aizen._ " From the way Kyoraku's eyes widened, he hadn't thought about that. "And there won't be a Dino and Gino to pull my fat out of the fire." If he was lucky the other Espada MIGHT save his ass but they might not, too. "If we do manage to make a kid I want someone around with survival potential. You've made it a thousand years, I think you've got good odds." He wasn't too sure about himself. Tousen usually nit-picked him, though, and that actually made it easier to control his temper. The worst moments were when something surprised him and made that rage come on all at once.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Kyoraku muttered and Vance was sure he was thinking about his own shitty situation. Ah, times were hard. "Have you talked to Nanao about this?" He asked and Vance grimaced.

"No. It probably sounds weird given that I think you hate me, but I figured you'd be less likely to rip my head off and spit down the hole." He said frankly and saw Kyoraku smile. "Her temper's just as scary as mine, when she really rips off." That happened way less often though. "And anyway, if you said no it wouldn't matter. Does this mean you're saying yes?" He looked at the man hopefully. Honestly, Vance thought this might get them both what they wanted. There was a long pause as Kyoraku thought about it and Vance hoped he never had to play poker with the man. He'd clean up.

"I think perhaps I am." He finally said and Vance breathed a small sigh of relief. "Although that supposes you survive putting this to my lovely Nanao-chan." Ouch! "How do you plan to do that, by the way?" He asked with morbid curiosity. Vance shrugged helplessly.

"I was hoping you might have some idea. I mean, you've known her for almost a century, right?" From the look on his face, Kyoraku thought he was an idiot. "No?" A wicked smile played on his lips.

"I have absolutely no idea." Great. Vance opened his mouth but Kyoraku cut him off at the pass. "And I won't help you. This is all on you, Espada-san." Dick! "It was your idea, after all." …Hmph. Vance glowered but couldn't really argue that.

"Forget about it." He growled before blinking. It had been a long, long time since he'd used that phrase. Unfolding his legs, he moved smoothly to his feet. "And call me Vance." If they were really going to do this, they should be on a first name basis. Although he wasn't going to use Kyoraku's name until the man gave him permission. That might take a while, but it would probably happen. He showed himself out, feeling thoughtful eyes on his back.

Now he needed to talk to Nanao. Ah, life was such a pip sometimes.


	3. Baby, no!

The conversation with Nanao went incredibly weirdly.

At first, Vance got what he'd expected. Nanao went completely spare on him, started shouting things about _how dare he_ and _did he think she was a whore?_ And he was trying frantically to get a word in edgewise and she wasn't having any of it. Soon she was throwing plates at him and Vance hid behind the sofa, seriously worried that this was going to upgrade to kido. Plates he could deal with, they were cheap shit anyway but the furnishings, the light fixtures, the couch…

Reaching down deep, he found the bond Aizen had made between them. Vance sometimes wondered why he'd forged those bonds. It let his arrancar control their mates, true, but why? Most of the shinigami women just weren't strong enough to cause problems. Was it because he wanted the arrancar to mate with the shinigami? Or did he just figure the women were a kind of hostage against the men? Maybe that was it.

But Vance found the bond and tried to get to Nanao's feelings through it, intending to calm her down. What he hit, though, shocked him to the core. Because it wasn't _rage_ at all. What Nanao was feeling was an icing of anger over a solid block of stomach churning _fear._

He was out from behind the couch before he even thought of it, sweeping Nanao into his arms and pressing her tight against his chest. She yelped and struggled but Vance held her tight and whispered soothing words in her ears. This was exactly what he wouldn't do if she was really losing her temper. If he'd found real rage he'd have tried to calm her and if that failed, beat a retreat to let her work it out. Fear, though, that was the opposite. Fear meant that Nanao needed help, needed comfort, needed holding. After a bit of fruitless struggling she suddenly broke down and wept into his uniform.

"What's wrong?" He whispered in her ear as she cried, huge, heaving sobs. The tears were hot and he could smell the saltwater "Nanao, god, what's wrong?" Why did the thought of fucking Kyoraku put her in a near panic? None of this made sense.

"I… h-have… my family has a… curse…" She hiccupped as Vance blinked. "We… are a family of… women… any man dies…" …Wait, what? "I can't do that to him I can't I love him but I can't let him I love him too much – " She broke down sobbing again and Vance just held her, trying to process this. A curse? He was tempted to just call it bullshit but this was Soul Society, maybe that was possible. Shouldn't Kyoraku have known about that though?

"How do you know this is a real thing?" He said after a moment. "I mean, I'm alive, aren't I?" And they were fucking and he was male. Nanao sniffled, calming down just a bit as her hands gripped his leathers.

"I – I think it might not work on you because you're a hollow." She said after a moment before looking away. "That's wh-why I decided to – to lay with you. I thought… I could finally have a man… and not care if he…" She sniffled again and Vance wasn't sure if he should be amused or offended. That was why she'd slept with him? Because she figured her vagina would turn him to stone or something? Hey, wait a minute.

"Has something happened?" He asked and Nanao went still in his arms for a moment before nodding. "Tell me."

"I've had two men… they both died. Within a year." She sounded close to tears again. "I can't do that to him. His, his brother died after marrying my mother and I just can't!"

"Nanao, shhh." Vance soothed her, rubbing her back as he thought hard about this. He was leaning towards this being bullshit, mainly because Kyoraku hadn't breathed a word of it and he'd known Nanao all her life. He had to know about her family history. However, he could tell Nanao was seriously spooked. Well, maybe? "Look, let me tell you something." He said as she sniffed. "Back when I was a mercenary, we had a witch doctor." She looked at him a touch wide-eyed. "He was a really great doctor, he could get a bullet out and he had this salve, he brewed it for eight days and I don't know what the hell it was but it really worked." He'd tried to get the man to teach him and the witch doctor had just laughed before telling him it was a family secret. And he'd laughed harder when Vance had asked if he had any daughters he could marry. "Anyway, you had to be a real dick to piss off the witch doctor but if you did, he'd curse you." He dropped his voice, trying to imitate the man. "You have angered the spirits of the underworld. You will not live to see the sun set tomorrow." Nanao managed a sad little giggle and Vance smiled. "And you know what? They never did! It was MAGIC!" Then he gave her a hard stare. "Except it wasn't. What it was, was he knew every poisonous plant in the fucking jungle and his wife was the cook. He was also really good with a blowgun. If the witch doctor cursed you, you were going down." He shrugged. "It was just his way of saying, I'm gonna kill your sorry ass." Some of the dumber guys had believed in the cursing but the rest of them had just known not to get on the witch doctor's bad side. "So tell me about these guys. When did you meet them? How old were they?" Was Nanao making her curse come true? She hesitated a moment before looking at him with sad violet eyes.

"It was a long time ago…" She described the two men and Vance quickly formed an impression of some nice but not very strong guys. The kind that he tried to train to work together because if they didn't, they were dog food. Wouldn't last a minute in Hueco Mundo.

"They don't sound very tough." Vance said as tactfully as he could. Nanao sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "And being a shinigami is really fucking dangerous. You know, Ukitake has this picture in his office. I could recognize him and Kyoraku but none of the other guys. I asked him about it, and it was his graduating class. All the other guys in that picture are dead." She looked away.

"He's a thousand years old, Vance," she said softly. "That's to be expected." He frowned because that was true but…

"Yeah, but if I asked him how many of them bought it in the first fifty years, I wonder what he'd say?" Vance knew from experience that the first real battle, in particular, was rough. "And you said Kyoraku's brother married your mom?" How had that worked? They couldn't be related. "So he HAS to know about this and he doesn't seem to care." Kyoraku had to think this was bullshit. Nanao bit her lip.

"I was three when they married and eight when he… Shunsui told me later that he had a heart condition, they had never been sure how long his older brother would live." She whispered as Vance rubbed her back. "But my mother thought it was the curse. She… died, not long after." Ouch. He rubbed her back a little harder. "Vance, I know you might be right but how can I take the chance?" Her eyes were tearing up again. "I love him." God, the way she said that. Vance had to swallow a lump in his throat and he knew why. He wasn't jealous he was just remembering the woman who'd said that to him and god, it hurt to remember.

"I hear what you're saying." He said softly, holding her close. "But you know, it's not just you who feels that way. He's hurting, Nanao." He heard her breath catch, a shiver run through her body. "He wants you bad enough that he's willing to sleep with me too. Doesn't that tell you how much he needs you?"

"I know…" Nanao murmured before looking at him quizzically. "How did you get him to agree to that?" She asked and Vance shrugged.

"I am just that charming," he said, exercising that charm with a smile. Nanao snorted softly, shaking her head at him. "But what do you think?" This was not any kind of done deal. There was a long silence as Nanao mulled it over.

"I have to talk to him," she finally said and Vance nodded.

"Tomorrow." It was far too late for that tonight and besides… "We need to clean this place up." There were a lot of broken plates lying around. "You get the broom, I'll get the bits…" Soon they had everything neatened again and Vance was glad that it had just been the china. When they were done, they cuddled on the couch for a bit before Nanao decided to read a book. Moved by an imp of the perverse, he asked her to read it aloud to him. She laughed but did it and he smiled as he listened to the sound of her voice, painting pictures of places he'd never been.

It was a nice feeling.

* * *

Vance never found out exactly what Nanao said to Kyoraku.

He asked her but she didn't want to talk about it and he decided not to ask Kyoraku. They still weren't on the best of terms. All he knew was that the next day, they were all in a bedroom together. That might have been more awkward but he'd done shit like that before and Kyoraku was an old hand at it. Together, they worked at easing Nanao into it.

"She's yours first." Vance murmured in Kyoraku's ear as they both worked on disrobing Nanao. Their eyes met for a moment before he smiled.

"Thank you," he murmured before pulling her into a kiss. Nanao returned it with a passion that hurt his heart a little to see. Not because he was jealous but because it reminded him…

Vance firmly set that aside and gently tugged them both towards the bed. Soon they were all on the sheets and Kyoraku was kneeling between Nanao's thighs. From the way she was gasping, his tongue was talented. And Vance wasn't sitting idle… he gently sucked a nipple in his mouth, tweaking the other with callused fingers. One hand wound through his hair.

"Shunsui…" Her voice had a note of protest and Vance glanced down, smiling as he saw that Kyoraku had moved up. His cock was positioned so the head was just teasing her lips.

"Do you want me, Nanao-chan?" The gentle teasing in his voice made Vance chuckle and he let go of that nipple with a small pop before kissing a line around her throat.

"Tell him to take you quick before I do it." He murmured in her ear, as softly as he could. He could feel her barely audible chuckle, the vibration of her chest.

"Take me now or I'll ask Vance to do it." Nanao said firmly before gasping and Vance grinned. That must've got Kyoraku to plunge right into her. "Shunsui…!" Oh yes. Looking down, he met Kyoraku's gaze and lifted his head in a question gesture. Did he want her tits? The other man nodded and Vance moved back, giving them both room. He watched, fascinated, as Kyoraku made love to his woman. The passion on his face as he took her with abandon, the way her thighs were holding him close as her legs went around him… this was hot. Vance vaguely thought he ought to be jealous but strangely enough, he'd never been a possessive man. Which was good, his temper was bad enough already.

"Nanao, my sweet Nanao-chan…" Holy crap the feeling in his voice. How long had Kyoraku been waiting for this? And the sounds Nanao was making… shit this was hot. Vance shifted a bit, vaguely aware of his raging hard on. He'd never been a peeping tom or anything but he was getting off on this.

It was easy to tell when Nanao came. The way she cried out, her eyes half-closing in bliss… Vance knew that look so well. And Kyoraku shuddered a moment later. That was a good look on his face too. Vaguely, Vance wondered what he looked like when he orgasmed. Well, he wasn't going to jack off in front of a mirror – that was way too narcissistic – so he'd never know. They were kissing again and shit, that was so hot!

"Ah, you guys… that was beautiful but I need some help over here." Vance said with a smile and they both glanced over. There was an unguarded moment and Vance could tell Kyoraku wished he'd just vanish. Nanao, though, saw his erection and smiled. She gently pushed on Shunsui's chest and he got the message, moving off with a bit of a resigned air.

"I'll help you with that." Shit, the way she looked at him through her eyelashes… Vance couldn't get enough of that. And then she was going down on his dick, making him groan in pleasure at the feeling of her hot mouth. That was so damned good! He happened to meet Kyoraku's gaze and he could tell the man wasn't really into watching this. Well, maybe he'd fix that later…

Then Nanao was letting go of him and Vance smiled as she moved up, resting her hands on his shoulders, pushing him down. Ah, that was what she wanted… his head was off the bed but he didn't care, just enjoying it as Nanao grasped his cock before sliding down onto his body. Vance gasped, grasping her hips as he thrust up into that wet, clutching heat. Shit, she felt so good… He watched her breasts bouncing, enjoying it so much. Damn, his woman was so beautiful like this.

"Nanao…" Kyoraku. Vance grinned, enjoying the sight as the other man got into things. Kyoraku slid a hand behind her head, kissing Nanao even as she rode him. Although, that made him think.

"Hey, Kyoraku, come a bit closer here." He really wanted to make this a proper threesome. Right now it was more Nanao pleasing the two of them and while that was great, Vance wanted them to come together. Kyoraku looked down at him before nodding and shifting a bit. Vance reached out with one hand, finding his dick. He was still wet… he wasn't hard but that was easy to fix. Vance half-closed his eyes as he just enjoyed the whole thing, Nanao above him and Kyoraku's cock in his hand.

Then Kyoraku was moving and Vance's eyes widened as the man ran a hand through his hair before gripping the back of his head. Was he going to…? A thick erection prodded at his lips and Vance opened his mouth, taking that hot flesh in his mouth. It tasted… good. Sweet and salty, he fancied he could still taste Nanao on him. And the feel of her body around him, squeezing his cock… this was great, it really was.

Vance lost track of time after that, just enjoying every moment they were together. Nanao's insides fluttered around him, making him groan deep in his throat as Kyoraku gripped his hair, guiding him to the best spots. Shit, it was all so hot! He fondled Kyoraku's balls, making the man groan as Nanao's thighs tightened around him and oh SHIT he was getting so close!

Vance felt Nanao go tight around him, felt her insides grabbing him as she went over the edge. That was too much and he followed with a muffled sound, his mouth still full of cock. For a moment, the pleasure left him dazed. Then he felt Kyoraku trying to move back. What did he think he was doing? Vance tightened his grip on the man's balls just as he deep throated the erection, taking that hot length so far back it scraped his throat a little. Kyoraku gasped but took the hint, that it wasn't wise to move when the man holding your balls didn't want you to. A hand tangled in his hair again as Vance hummed in the back of his throat. He knew that vibration would feel good.

Vance felt the pulse of Kyoraku's member, the way his balls tensed just before he came. It was just enough warning for him to swallow it smoothly, just letting it go down like an oyster. Then he let go, letting Kyoraku draw back. As he did, Vance looked up and their eyes met.

"How was that, Kyoraku?" Vance asked, stroking a sweaty thigh with one hand. Kyoraku smiled before moving back, letting him sit up a bit.

"It was nice. But I think I would like it more from Nanao-chan." Vance couldn't help it. His inner smart aleck rose up too fast.

"Mmm, sure, but I'll warn you. I am WAY better at that than she is." The wide-eyed shock on Kyoraku's face was almost worth it. Although he'd be paying for that crack in 3… 2… 1…

"SAI!" WOAH! Vance tumbled out of the bed and hit the wall with a bang. "You! Couch! Now!" Nanao ordered, pointing at the door.

"What?! Baby, no!" Vance was horrified. The couch? When Kyoraku was still in the bed?! "I'm so sorry, it was just a joke you are the goddess of cunnilingus, the queen of oral…" Oh shit was he just digging himself in deeper here? She was scowling at him and she looked super pissed! He got on his knees to do some proper begging. "Don't make me sleep on the couch Nanao, not while he's here that just ain't right I'll rub your back, I'll massage your feet…" And he did a really good massage. "I'll even make supper if you don't mind the burnt bits but please don't make me sleep on the couch…" Kyoraku was laughing now, too! Argh!

"Hmph." Nanao looked away for a moment, her body tense and Vance's heart sank. But then she looked back and she was smiling? "Oh, fine. Come here. But you will be giving me a backrub tomorrow." She said firmly and Vance nodded as he pushed himself to his feet. He'd give her all the backrubs she wanted if it meant he didn't have to sleep on the couch.

"Ah, I never imagined this could be so funny! Yes, join us Vance-san." Kyoraku said with a smile and Vance was glad to see that he seemed happy now. He settled in on the bed, wishing it was bigger. Hmm, if this was going to be a regular thing they should get a bigger bed. Kyoraku got between him and Nanao, though, holding her as she flicked out the light. Vance ended up cuddled up to Kyoraku but he decided he didn't mind.

Anything beat the couch.

* * *

"What a fine day." Vance murmured, glancing up at the sky. It was clear blue, hardly a cloud in sight. The sun was bright and cheerful and warmed the ever present chill in his bones. Ah, days like today he didn't miss Hueco Mundo at all. The sands were a cold bitch and no mistake.

It helped that he'd woken up well. He'd slept though the rooster and only gotten up when Nanao had given him a shake. Breakfast had been congee with fried eggs and bloody awesome. And now, he was doing something he loved. Could this day get any better?

"Alright you shit stains! It's time to learn something that will SAVE YOUR FUCKING LIVES, so listen up!" He abruptly roared and grinned to himself as the shinigami in front of him quailed. Actually, they weren't even shinigami yet. Academy students and god, he loved his job sometimes. "You are getting your first lessons on how to fight a real hollow! And since I am most definitely a real, authentic hollow you are going to be fighting ME!" Ah, the smell of terror in the morning. "However, this is TRAINING! So unless you do something SPECTACULARLY STUPID, you will survive… this time! Now listen up!" He paused. No response. "WHAT D'YOU SAY?"

"Yes, Espada-san!" The chorus was ragged and he made them repeat it. Satisfied, he began with his lecture. He moved around as he spoke, slowly prowling back and forth.

"In general, you shinigami are great one on one fighters. But your teamwork sucks!" He'd observed that when they'd made the first push into Soul Society. Not that the arrancar had been much better. His whole promotion had come because he'd managed to organize them a bit and really ream some of the shinigami defenders. "Now, against basic hollows that doesn't matter but against giant hollows, that really DOES matter!" He stopped to glare at them. "And I don't want to hear any bullshit about honor and the way of the warrior. Your job is to MAKE THEM DIE! You got it?!" He waited for the ragged chorus of yes's before continuing. "So what we are working on today is teamwork against a larger, more powerful opponent. All of you! Split into groups of four!" He'd let them pick their buddies to start with. And four was a manageable number.

When they had themselves sorted out, he reached over his shoulder and pulled free his spear. It was a long thing with a leaf head and nothing like the weapons he'd used when he was alive. But some part of him knew it and knew it well. He could handle it with a grace and elegance that would put most swordsmen to shame. That wasn't what he was going for today, though.

"Fly free, Angelo." He said and sighed in pleasure as he felt the rush of power come over him. It always felt good, releasing his spear and taking back that piece of himself. "Now…" He concentrated hard, warping his energies. This wasn't comfortable at all and it wasn't technically part of his resurrection. His vantage point went up and he felt his body expand, and he grunted in pain as his power became diffused. Looking down, he saw the students staring at him with wide eyes. "Okay." He knew his voice sounded seriously weird to them, like he was underwater or something, but he couldn't fix that. "This actually makes me way weaker, so calm the fuck down." To them, he looked like a giant serpent bird with a broken wing. "You four." He gestured with his beak, as best he could. One shinigami girl put a hand against her chest. "Yeah, you. You have five minutes to discuss it. Then you come at me." He thought that was fair. Generally, shinigami would be able to see a giant hollow a mile away. A quick powwow to get their shit together was expected. Vance settled back, thinking a bit as all the students whispered to each other. The groups that weren't up were already trying to figure out what they would do when their turn came.

Then the four of them spread out and made their attack. Vance went easy on them and at first, things were looking good. Two of them were using kido, trying to hold him in place as the other two attacked. But they had to keep recasting the kido and one of the castings went bad. Vance took advantage just like any hollow would do and the whole thing came apart. They were fighting as individuals then and he soon had them all in the dust.

"You are all dead." He told them and they all looked mortified at their performance. Ah, kids. "However, you had the right idea. Did the rest of you see where that went wrong?" They spent a bit of time analyzing it before he went on to the next group. They tried a completely different strategy, fighting in a wedge. Probably because they weren't into kido. They fared worse than the first group, it was kind of a shitty tactic.

After every group had been given a chance, Vance let himself fall back into his normal resurrection. He stretched his wings for a moment, shaking them out. His base form was an eagle and his resurrection gave him back his wings. Glancing back, he saw all the cracks in the right one. It looked like a jigsaw puzzle someone had put back together, which was pretty much the case. He still had his spear in his resurrection, but instead of piece of fine steel, it was white bone. The leaf head was exactly the same. Vance concentrated a moment and the wings vanished, the white bone flickering for a moment before it faded back into steel. He slung his spear back over his shoulder before turning to the students.

"That wasn't bad!" He congratulated them. Hell, it was better than the new arrancar had done. But from what little he could tell, none of these shinigami were fucking morons. One thing you could never cure was stupid. "But it could be a damned sight better!" He didn't want them to get the idea they were any good. They weren't, yet. "I'll be back next week and I want to see some improvements. You understand?" He demanded and was satisfied by the response. The kids seemed energized and happy, despite the fact that they'd all lost. Probably because they realized they COULD do it, they just had to figure out how.

Smiling to himself, he went back to the Thirteenth… well, actually, it was the Tenth now. Several Divisions had been basically annihilated in the victory. Not that he was going to feel bad about that! Vance remembered the fight those bastards at the old Eleventh had put up. It had been a good battle, although they'd gone down in the end.

"Vance-sama!" Huh? He blinked as the Kotetsu girl ran right up to him, holding a sheaf of papers. "We have orders! We need to patrol the Zaraki district tomorrow!" …Okay. So why did he give a shit what they were up to? He wasn't – "You're in charge!" Say what now?

"Give me those." He took the papers and ran through them, frowning. He wasn't that fast a reader but he soon got the gist. "Huh." Ukitake wasn't just a little under the weather, he was a lot under the weather. "He got that flu going around?" He'd heard of that. It wasn't anything serious but Juushiro was already delicate. Kiyone nodded.

"He made it worse by working too hard." She said, a touch tearfully. Vance rubbed his chin, frowning.

"Well, okay." He could handle this. "And I can pull in a few arrancar units too." He mused. The letter gave him permission for that and he was the Tercero, he had plenty of arrancar answering to him. "I wonder…" This sounded like some heavy duty shit was going down. "I'll start arranging that. You get everyone ready for tomorrow." He was going to parcel up the arrancar, put one with every shinigami unit. Yeah, that was the ticket. Humming, Vance left to begin giving his arrancar their orders.

Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.


	4. Dio Dannato

"This is ridiculous." Vance groused as he gazed over the trees. His spear was in his hand, completely unused. The sun was just starting to set and while the colors were pretty, he was in no mood to appreciate it.

All day, he'd been leading the arrancar and shinigami as they tried to find what was wrong in the Zaraki district. They had not found a single thing. That pissed him off, a little, but what really got him on edge was the feeling that it wasn't real. The calm of the Zaraki district was a false front and Vance felt an itching between his shoulder blades that spelled _danger_. Were these fucks just waiting for the sun to set?

"It doesn't feel right. I miss Sentaro." Kiyone said and Vance nodded. He'd never met that Sentaro but he knew, in a general way, what had happened. A disproportionate number of the surviving shinigami had been females. For advanced hollows, women were rare and prized. Once, he'd done a rough nose count and Vance thought that less than a quarter of the arrancar were female. Of that, half didn't like men and the other half were weak whores or happily mated. Hueco Mundo was a giant sausage fest, no doubt about it. So in the invasion, they'd gone easy on the women. The men? Fuck 'em, they were nothing but rivals. That was why Kiyone was here but Sentaro wasn't.

Then he stiffened as a sound reached his ears. It sounded like a moan. Vance almost mistook it for a hollow's cry but then it ended on a weird titter?

"Hey, did you hear that?" He asked, feeling a bit of ice crawling down his spine. He had to be imagining things. But that sound, that fucking distinctive sound, he'd heard it dozens of times. Yet, how could it be?

"It sounded like a hollow." Well, at least he wasn't totally imagining things. Although Vance took no comfort in that when he heard the sound again, this time louder. Closer? And he was not wrong about that titter.

"Holy shit." Vance breathed before twirling his spear and setting into a ready position, trying to pinpoint where that sound had come from. "Bad shit is coming. Send a message to the troops to get ready!" This was it, what they'd been waiting for. Kiyone quickly sent out the message with kido and Vance spotted the movement as she was talking.

He barely managed to save her life. The attack was an insanely fast rush and it targeted her. Vance managed to keep the cleaver from going through her skull, but couldn't stop the foot that hit her in the ribs. Kiyone flew away with the crunch of breaking bones and Vance snarled, meeting light blue, crazy eyes.

"Vaaaance." The crazy man crooned and he was moving as fast as he ever had, using his spear to catch that cleaver and keep it away from his body. Vance grimaced as it raised sparks from the contact. Holy shit, he was stronger!

"Butcher!" Vance barked his name as he leapt back. There was a pause and he got a chance to look at the guy. "You're… bigger." And the motherfucker had been big when he was alive. Now he was huge, a scary as fuck mountain of a man. Although was he a man at all? He wasn't a hollow and Vance was sure he wasn't a shinigami. "Why are you wearing a mask?" It didn't matter, he would recognize the crazy man anyway, but the mask was weird. It covered most of his face, although there were a few peeks of dead white skin.

"Dunno." The nutjob said before giggling and Vance was reminded that the Butcher was basically retarded. It had been sort of funny when he'd been alive but it was annoying as fuck right now, when he really wanted an answer. "Gonna kill you Vance." Then the fucker rushed him. Vance hissed out a breath between his teeth as he blocked and tried to take the offensive. Fuck he was so fast! His spear drew blood but the fucker didn't seem to notice and Vance remembered. The Butcher had never felt pain, not really.

"Why?!" He managed to say as they moved across the clearing. Vance couldn't concentrate on anything but the battle. The Butcher didn't have much technique but he was so fast and strong, it was appalling. "Why d'you want to kill me? I was nice to you!" He'd brought the fucker cookies. He'd even given him cake for his 'birthday.' There was that weird howling sound, ending in that creepy giggle.

"You wasn't scared. I want you to be scared." He said, those blue eyes glowing with madness and Vance blinked. Scared?

"What the fuck you… on about? I'm scared!" He'd be crazy not to be. More sparks flew and Vance just barely managed to duck a kick to the head. The Butcher used his whole body when he fought, it was part of what had made him scary. But then, Vance did too.

"Not like the others. You never scared like them." The Butcher said and Vance noted he wasn't breathing hard. Son of a bitch. "You talked to me. You gave me cookies."

"…The fuck? You want to kill me BECAUSE I gave you cookies?" Crazy motherfucking son of a bitch! "Because I treated you like a fucking human being?!" The other guys had been terrified of the Butcher but Vance had thought it was just sad. Poor lunatic in a cell, it would've been kinder to kill him. Vance could see edges of a wide grin under that white mask.

"Yes." Then the attacks kept coming and Vance would have sworn but he didn't have the breath. And it was time to take this to the next level.

"Fly free – MPH!" Something long and white went around his face and clogged his mouth. Hair? Vance was yanked off his feet before he was abruptly thrashed into the ground. The impact stunned him for just a moment and that was all it took for a foot to land on him. Vance cried out, muffled by the hair, as he felt ribs snap and heard the Butcher's laughter. He'd lost his spear and that damned stuff was winding around him, it was too tough for him to break and the Butcher stomped on him again and again. Vance tasted blood and heard bones crunching. Was he going to die? Rage flared and he snarled behind his gag before fighting with all his strength. White light flared and there was a surprised scream just before the hair stuff parted. Then he was on his feet and somehow, his spear was back in his hands. He released it and took back his wings in a burst of power.

For a while, Vance totally lost his mind. The rage was like a fire in his mind and he used it to power his body, keep him moving when he should have been on the ground gasping and whimpering. The two of them – there was a woman now, a woman with long white hair, dead white skin and green eyes – were actually on the defensive for a bit. Unfortunately, the rage wasn't magic and when the Butcher kicked him right in his broken ribs the pain started to get through. Pure white ceros – his power was white – lit up the night as he spent his rage.

It was the woman that got him, though. That damned hair of hers was a wicked weapon and she fought with a sword, too, a long, twisted thing. It got him in the back and Vance reeled at the pain right before the Butcher punched him in the face. He felt his cheek bone crack as he went flying, the blade tearing right out of his body. Vance hit a tree and heard it splinter before he came to a halt.

"Sh… it…" He gasped out, trying to find his spear. Fuck, he'd lost it again… then there was a footstep and he looked up into ice blue eyes.

"Kill you now." The Butcher giggled and Vance snarled. But then a white hand was on the Butcher's arm?

"No, not now." The woman was a soprano and she sounded like she'd make a fine opera singer. Vance wondered what the hell she was thinking though. The Butcher didn't listen to anyone, that he'd seen. Well, maybe things had changed.

"Why not?" The Butcher sounded pouty. He was like a kid sometimes… then the woman knelt down beside him and Vance looked into her eyes. Her mask hid her lower face, and her eyes were green as a cat's.

"Because he's not scared. You want him to be scared, don't you?" She said sweetly before chucking him under the chin. Vance tried to bite her but missed. Damn, he was so weak! "Are you scared?" Her dulcet tones were seriously pissing him off.

"Fuck you… bitch!" He rasped out before spitting out a mouthful of saliva and blood. It splattered across her face but she only hummed, reaching up with one black gloved hand to wipe the mess away. Vance felt disgruntled as he watched the movement. These fuckers wore black too. Why the hell was he the guy in white?

"He's not scared." The Butcher sounded disappointed and Vance thought about cussing him out too. Well, why not?

But not in Japanese… Vance went native and started to tell the asshole what he thought of him in Italian. "Figlio di puttana. Succhiacazza." His hand found the spear and he gripped it before trying to use it as a crutch. But when he tried to stand up, oh god the pain! "Dio dannato," Vance whispered, remembering… the priest would have been pissed, hearing that. God, what did he care? Heaven was right here and Hell was here too. "Bastard son of a pox ridden whore." He rasped, switching back to Japanese. He didn't think the woman understood Italian. Actually, Vance didn't think the Butcher understood Italian. Wait, how was he speaking Japanese? Oh, who the fuck knew. "Fuck you both I hope you rot in Hell." For some reason, that made the woman laugh.

"That is so funny!" Why? Vance blinked as she moved with lithe grace, settling on the Butcher's shoulder before patting him on the head, like he was a pet. And he let her, acting like a docile little puppy. Were they fucking? Gross. "Well, Valenncoro – " He hated that name. "I want you to take a message for me. Tell Kyoraku Shunsui that when we meet, I'm going to eat his eyeballs." The sweet way she said it made his blood run cold. The bitch meant it. "Before I eat his heart." The desire in her voice would have been nice between the sheets. In this situation? Creepy. As. Fuck.

"Who the fuck are you?" He rasped and she tilted her head before chuckling softly.

"Oh, that is important isn't it? I am Kuhara Rey." She said and Vance wondered if Kyoraku had fucked her. If so, he was a brave man. Vance thought he'd rather stick his dick in a meat grinder. "Now, goodbye." The Butcher took his cue and loped off. Vance was pissed when he saw the way the fucker was moving. Hadn't he hurt the asshole at all? But the Butcher never really felt pain…

Shaking that away, Vance tried to walk and gasped. Holy shit his ribs were a mess! And he was pretty sure his sternum was cracked. Not to mention… actually, he just shouldn't think about it. He was seriously fucked up, that was enough. But he was an arrancar and his healing factors were kicking in. Grimacing, he managed to move. He had to find Kiyone. Where was she?

Vance almost tripped over her and he was really upset at what he saw.

"Shit!" The poor chick wasn't looking so good. It wasn't just what the Butcher had done to her, either. Vance saw with dismay that it looked like the woman with the hair had stabbed her. Had she tried to help him? Probably, she was a seated officer after all. Vance managed to kneel beside her and checked her over before hissing. Her pulse was weak and her skin was too white. He was a good field medic and he could see she was bleeding internally. The location of that wound wasn't good, he guessed it had gotten her somewhere vital. "Damn." He was pretty sure that he couldn't get her to the Fourth before she croaked. Were there healers around? Vance shook the thought away. He had no kido, no way to request help and he sure as shit couldn't count on running into one.

"Angelo." Vance breathed, pressing a hand against the wound. "Bless this woman, Angelo." His spear glowed white. Vance knew this was a terrible idea but he couldn't just let her die… power left him and Vance grunted in pain. But Kiyone's wounds hissed for a moment and her color suddenly got way better. Vance checked her pulse and it was stronger. He tried to use his spear to stand again –

"Fuck!" Vance choked before coughing up a mouthful of blood. "Dio… dannato…" He'd compromised his own healing factors with that bit of fuckery. Vance tried one more time before he realized it was hopeless. He couldn't walk out of here and he sure as shit couldn't carry Kiyone. Letting himself collapse beside her, he breathed heavily as he looked up at the stars. They were pretty for a while, but then they seemed to swirl together…

Vance let himself fall unconscious and honestly, he was glad.

* * *

"That was a fine performance, Tercero." Vance floated on a fog of candy colored gauze. That voice though. He knew that voice and it was really annoying. Oh right, Tousen. He was remembering now. "You lost half your arrancar and a quarter of your shinigami." Well whoop de shit, it was kind of hard to do much when the two strongest fighters on the battlefield were targeting him! And it was the fucking Butcher! He was lucky to be alive.

"Vaffanculo." Vance whispered, only half-conscious. "Tousen, pezzo di merda." Wait, had he said that out loud?

"Tousen Kaname. I know you are eager to question him but I must insist you leave." Oh thank god, that was Unohana Retsu. "He is badly injured…" Vance vaguely felt them moving away and let himself relax into the blankets, embracing that candy colored gauze. This felt really nice. Then his nose twitched as he smelled something familiar. Peony perfume and a warmer, spicier scent…

"Vance." He tried to open his eyes and found that he couldn't. But Vance could imagine Nanao there, looking down at him. Would she have tears in her eyes? "I care for you, you know. Please, get better." Her hand was stroking his brow and shit, that felt nice.

"Nanao. Ti voglio bene." Vance whispered. God, he wished he could see her. "Sei bella." _I care for you. You are beautiful._

"What is he saying?" Kyoraku. Wasn't he supposed to tell him something? Vance couldn't remember.

"I don't know. But it sounds wonderful," Nanao said. Well, he was more than happy to say a bit more.

"Sei l'amore della mia vita." Was that true though? Vance wasn't sure but right now, he felt like it. "Voglio stare con te per sempre."

"He just said, 'you are the love of my life. I want to be with you forever.'" Unohana. Wait, she spoke Italian? Hah! No wonder she'd wanted to get Tousen out the door. There was a soft sniffle from Nanao and Vance felt warm arms around his neck. "While I can tell he's happy to see you, I must ask that you leave. We need to check over his injuries." He wasn't healing too well then. Vance wasn't surprised, he'd fucked himself up properly.

"We'll come by to see him later," Kyoraku said and Vance heard them leaving before he felt gentle hands, adjusting him to get at all the wounds. Healing kido touched him and Vance sensed they were working on his bones. Ah, he was healing so slowly. Well, he was lucky to be alive.

Vance was willing to take what he could get.

* * *

The next day.

Vance grimaced as he gingerly took his seat on the cushion. A servant fussed over him a little before he waved her away. He wished they had chairs. Normally, cushions didn't bother him but right now Vance was feeling every single ache and pain.

This was a combined meeting of the Espada and the Taichou and Vance was going to be giving his report. Tousen had already heard all the details – the asshole – and Aizen had been informed. Everyone else, though, needed to hear. Vance wished he'd gotten a chance to talk to Kyoraku privately about the bitch, but everyone probably needed to know anyway.

"Vance-san, please let me know if you cannot continue." Vance turned his head to smile at Unohana. She'd escorted him here and was sitting on her own cushion. Right beside him wasn't her usual spot, but it was today.

"Yeah, I'll tell you." He wasn't feeling any stupid male bravado right now. His body was nothing but a giant bruise and the bones were only mended if you were feeling charitable about it. One good blow and it'd all come apart.

Soon the rest of the group began to arrive – they'd gotten in early, his sonido wasn't up to snuff – and Vance glanced around as they took their seats. Of the Espada, there was only Halibel, himself, Grimmjow and Szayel. Vance knew the latter two resented the way he'd suddenly jumped over them, but they were smart enough to know they couldn't touch him. Halibel was the highest, now ranked Segunda. There was no Primera. Aizen was still looking for a hollow stronger than Halibel. He'd even mended a few more broken masks among the arrancar, but no one else had soaked up power like Vance.

"Hey there!" Grimmjow grinned and moved to slap him on the back. Vance almost flinched – that would HURT – but to his surprise, the blow never landed.

"Do not touch my patient." Retsu's tone could have refinished the table and Grimmjow's grin wilted. His wrist had been caught in her hand and the Sexta muttered something before pulling away and finding his own place at the table. Vance breathed a bit easier when Grimmjow's butt hit the cushion.

Then there was the taichou. Ukitake was there, looking almost as bad as Vance felt. Kyoraku had his spot and Vance knew Aizen was pretty pleased about that. In fact, he was happier to have Kyoraku than Starrk, which kind of pissed Vance off. Sure, the Primera had been a lazy shit but not a bad guy. Leaving that aside, Vance glanced at the others. Toshiro was there, looking pretty tired, and Tousen of course. He was heading a Division as well as sticking his nose into everything else. Everyone else was dead. Maybe in a few decades there'd be some new shinigami taichou, but it'd take some time.

Then Aizen walked in. Vance looked up, trying to seem alert and eager. If he hadn't know better, he'd have thought Aizen-kami was just another shinigami. The hogyoku was hidden under his clothes and his power couldn't be detected at all. Vance knew that was beyond his perception but if he'd just seen Aizen walking down the street, he could have mistook him for a plus soul. It was sort of creepy, actually.

"I see we are all here. Excellent." Aizen said with a smile as he took his seat. "As you all know, we are here to discuss the new challenge facing Soul Society. Vance?" He invited and Vance started to give his report.

"It started when the sun began to set…" Vance described the whole battle, keeping any profanity out of it. Then he got to the punch line. "The guy with the cleaver was named Butcher, when he was alive." He said and most of the table gave him weird looks. "I knew him, as a Living Man." That really got their attention. "The Boss kept him in a cage, liked to feed his enemies to him." Alive. The screams had been spectacular. "He's completely insane, he doesn't feel pain or just doesn't care. They had to shoot him a dozen times to kill him." He'd taken so many bullets and had just kept moving. Although… "I wasn't there when that happened, I was at the beach with my wife. I heard about it later." A little vacation, Vance had thought it was the best timing in the whole world. The Butcher had killed a half-dozen men in his escape and rampage.

"But you said he wasn't a hollow?" Szayel seemed really interested. "What did you sense? And did you recognize the woman as well?" Vance shrugged helplessly before responding.

"I don't know what I sensed. It wasn't shinigami or hollow. And I didn't recognize the woman but she gave me her name." This was going to be good. Vance looked at Kyoraku. "Her name was Kuhara Rey." His eyes went wide as his expression congealed with shock. Ukitake was wide-eyed too. "I don't know the story behind it, but she said she's going to eat Kyoraku's eyeballs." So gross. Seriously, that was something the Butcher would do. Shit, no wonder they got on so well, two crazy fuckers. "Before she eats his heart."

"Kyoraku?" Aizen said and Shunsui blinked before drawing a breath.

"I… it was almost nine hundred years ago. I hadn't even achieved bankai." He sounded like he was in shock. "Kuhara was my superior." Ohhh, really? "She intended to subvert Yamamoto's reforms." Vance had heard about that. Tousen bitched that they hadn't gone far enough, allowed so many injustices, but Vance thought he wasn't giving Yamamoto enough credit. Until his reforms, some assholes had thought it was fun to test their newly sharpened sword by decapitating a peasant. He'd made that kind of shit illegal. Enforcement could be a problem but it was still a step in the right direction. "I seduced her and convinced her I would help her rule from the shadows. I betrayed her and she was executed for treason." Wait, so he had fucked her? Wow.

"You are a brave man, having sex with that beast." Vance said and cringed as everyone looked at him. "No offense," he said quickly, before Tousen could take him to task for being 'unprofessional' again. Aizen cleared his throat.

"This is typical of the other reports. Tousen?" Tousen began to detail what he'd learned from the shinigami and arrancar. A lot of the arrancar had recognized their assailants, and some of the shinigami. Mostly the older ones. It was hard to get a complete picture since a lot of them were dead, but a bunch had managed to kill their old demons. Apparently, they were all a little traumatized by it. Vance knew the feeling. He was feeling a bit traumatized, seeing the Butcher going after him with a meat cleaver. What a nightmare. "I believe these souls are from Hell." WHAT?

"That's what she meant!" Vance burst out and bit his lip as Aizen-kami looked at him. "Uh, I apologize." He said before bowing slightly in his cushion. That really made his ribs hurt, ow.

"Please explain," Aizen said with the faintest edge and Vance swallowed before doing that.

"I told the woman I hope she rotted in Hell. She laughed and said that was really funny." That suddenly made sense. And Vance did know that Hell was a real place. He'd learned about that after he'd come to Soul Society as an arrancar. "But how could they be here?" Hell was jealous with the souls it took. You went in but you didn't come back out. And there were so many!

"That is what we need to learn. Szayel, you are to investigate and attempt to find the entrance these souls are using to enter Soul Society." Vance grimaced and rubbed his face, feeling a little sick as Aizen gave out their assignments. Although his was nice and simple… go back to bed and rest. Vance took the dismissal, climbing to his feet with a bit of help from his spear. It was an amazing crutch, when he needed it. Unohana gently steadied him too, before escorting him back to the Fourth. As soon as he could, Vance slumped into a bed. Even getting undressed was too much trouble.

He'd worry about everything tomorrow.


	5. The Past

When Vance came home, he immediately noticed some changes.

The first thing he noticed was an extra set of sandals at the front entrance. The second was the soft sound of voices and one of them was male. Smiling, he unslung his spear and set it against the wall before venturing inside. That spear was too big to carry around in the flat, he'd kill a vase.

Kyoraku and Nanao were in the kitchen, having a cup of tea and Vance was sure that wasn't all they'd been doing. He could see that Nanao was wearing a yukata and it was slightly rumpled. Kyoraku was looking super satisfied and Vance smiled as he caught the musky whiff of sex. It had been two days, how often had they been doing it? Vance was glad he wasn't a jealous man.

When Nanao saw him, though, her smile turned pensive and Vance saw real worry in her eyes. He smiled at her but the worry only deepened. What was up with that?

"I see you're settling in, Kyoraku. Brought your clothes over yet?" Vance teased and Kyoraku gave him a smile. It even looked genuine, to his eyes. Well, he'd been getting laid a lot.

"Yes, I've taken over the bottom shelf. I hope you don't mind?" Vance shook his head. He didn't care. "And a few shelves in the kitchen." Vance felt confused. What would he need space in the kitchen for? Then it occurred to him and his gaze darted to Nanao. She was looking away from him and she was guilty?

"Kyoraku." Vance's voice was a low growl and he saw the other man look a bit shamefaced. "Get that shit out of the house." The fucker had brought his sake with him! Now that was something Vance hadn't expected. Ah, shit, he should have. A lot of people said Kyoraku was a functional alcoholic. Vance wasn't quite sure but maybe it was true.

"You don't have to drink it." He protested and Vance ground his teeth together.

"But I WILL. Because it's there and it's enough to get me drunk," he snapped back. A single beer might not tempt him because he knew it wouldn't give him that feeling, but jars of sake? They'd be calling his name. "You're putting Nanao in danger, you stupid fuck!" She looked up and Vance saw the surprise on her face. "I am the worst fucking drunk in the world!" He'd told Kyoraku about his temper. Didn't he see what that meant?

"If you really care for Nanao-chan, you wouldn't hurt her," Kyoraku's eyes were narrowed and Vance grimaced before rubbing his forehead. Shit, that hurt, it really did.

"Yes I would, because I'd black out and lose my shit. It's happened before," and God, it hurt to remember. "I don't want to go into it but I killed a woman I loved more than anything in the world." It had partly been her fault, though. Not because she'd triggered his temper, that was never anyone's fault but his, no, it had been her fault for bringing the booze into the home. It made Vance want to howl in despair, just thinking about it. "I am a violent drunk and we can't have sake in the house." Not bottles of it, at least.

"I told him, but he wouldn't listen," Nanao said, reaching up to adjust her glasses. Vance nodded. He knew she understood and took his problem seriously. "Shunsui, couldn't you keep it at the Division and bring a single bottle home with you?" That would work. Vance could watch Kyoraku drinking it without feeling much, especially if it wasn't enough to get him drunk. That was a really important point, for him. Kyoraku looked mulish.

"I don't see why it's necessary…" Just humor me, you asshole! "Oh, fine. But it might need to be two bottles." Vance glanced at Nanao and saw her giving Kyoraku an unhappy look. Well, if there was one thing she really didn't like about her taichou it would have to be the way he drank. Vance was just glad he was a happy drunk, otherwise Kyoraku would've been a damned menace.

"Alright, that's fine, but make sure you drink them." Vance gave in. However. "Before we do anything else, let's get that stuff to your Division." Just knowing it was in the kitchen right now was making him twitchy. Nanao nodded and stood. Shunsui followed with a sigh and Vance could tell he was thinking it was all pretty damned silly. Hadn't he ever seen a really bad drunk before? On the other hand, drunks as bad as he was were pretty damned rare, they usually got themselves killed…

Shaking that thought away, Vance helped them clear out the kitchen. There was a lot of sake and he winced to himself. How many bottles did Kyoraku get through in a day? They managed it all in one trip, though, and soon the house was dry again, except for the bottle with supper. That let him relax and Vance took a seat at the kitchen table.

"So what's going down?" He had a feeling that some seriously bad mojo was brewing.

"There have been numerous attacks…" Shunsui gave him a quick rundown of the problems as Nanao started to bring out supper. Ah, a cold salad of seaweed and sesame with sushi? All cold, she must have made it earlier. Vance ate a bit as he listened. It seemed that the Hell-souls had left the Zaraki district behind. Now they were causing chaos all through the Rukongai, striking out at shinigami and arrancar every chance they got. Interestingly, one arrancar had reported fighting the same guy he'd offed in the first battle. He'd killed the guy a second time and was delighted. "He said he could kill that man every day of his life and enjoy it." Kyoraku sounded a bit pained and Nanao shook her head. Vance smiled.

"I can see that," he couldn't think of anyone he felt that way about, but yeah, he could see it. "I wonder if the Butcher is the only one I'll see." Vance was a bit worried about that. There was at least one guy he could think of who would have a boner to kill him and had probably gone to Hell.

"I wish I could help," Nanao said as she ate her sushi and Vance glanced at Kyoraku. Their eyes met and he knew they were thinking the exact same thing. Would Kuhara kill Nanao to get back at Kyoraku? Yes, without a doubt, as gruesomely as possible. They were both glad she was out of the firing lines. "And you can both stop protecting me." …Ahaha.

"But I wouldn't want my dear Nanao-chan to get a scratch – oof!" She'd just elbowed Kyoraku in the ribs. Vance grinned as he ate his salad. Nanao gave him a suspicious look and Vance raised a hand pacifically.

"I would never protect you like that. It's Aizen's orders," he said with all due seriousness, making her huff. It was true though. Aizen had decreed that most of the more powerful women would be taken off their active duties. Vance knew he was hoping they would start breeding. Hey, maybe? "Are you still taking those pills?" he asked and Kyoraku gave him a shocked look as Nanao sat bolt upright in outrage.

"VANCE!" He flinched away then managed to catch the chopstick she threw at him. "I'm still only a hundred! Stop it, I'll be ready when I'm ready!"

"Alright, alright," Vance sighed before tossing the chopstick back and going back to his food. The sushi was really good. Salmon roe? Tasty. "I just want some little feet in the house." Hollows never waited for this sort of thing. If you were lucky enough to find a mate, you tried to breed, it was instinct and good sense. Why wait for tomorrow when there might not be a tomorrow? There was a choking sound from Kyoraku and Vance quirked an eyebrow at him.

"I'm… not sure I'm ready for children either…" …Oh what the hell! Vance pointed a chopstick at him.

"You're a thousand years old, you can shut it," he said firmly. Although why wouldn't Kyoraku be ready? An answer came to him right off. "Try getting the boozing under control." Kyoraku's eyes narrowed at that and Vance could feel the tension rising.

"Are you calling me an alcoholic?" he said dangerously and Vance was debating answering honestly when Nanao reached over and rapped Shunsui with a chopstick across his knuckles. Kyoraku winced.

"I am calling you an alcoholic. You passed out at noon once!" she said firmly and Vance couldn't help but chuckle at the wounded look on Kyoraku's face. "You're only upset because Vance is the one saying it." Kyoraku sighed theatrically before reaching for his sake.

"Ah, Nanao-chan! I suppose you're right, I do have a bit of a problem." Vance wished he could think that admission was a good sign, but it felt too casual. It might be a problem but Kyoraku didn't think it was a big problem. Well, he'd been living with it for a long time, maybe it wasn't. A former drunk with a bad temper and a current drunk with a happy disposition… maybe between them they were one fully functional guy?

After supper, Vance took over cleaning up as Nanao grabbed a book and went to the den for a good read. He saw no point in watching her read, so it worked out well. Kyoraku did go with her and Vance wondered if he'd make the mistake of trying to distract her. That was a really good mystery novel so if he did, he'd be getting a telling off. Kyoraku ought to know that but Vance wouldn't be surprised if his presence made the man do something dumb. Sure enough, less than fifteen minutes later Kyoraku was joining him in the kitchen with a sheepish air. Vance did him the favor of not mentioning it, wiping off the dishes and putting them away.

"Tell me, Vance-san. Do you play Go?" Kyoraku asked and he shook his head.

"I play poker and Mancala," Vance said and saw Kyoraku's puzzlement. "It's a board game. Want me to get it?" He'd taught it to Nanao and she played with him sometimes. "It's not a hard game to learn but it's hard to master." Vance would never tell Nanao, but he sometimes let her win so she wouldn't stop playing. He'd played that game a long, long time. Even played it in Hueco Mundo, since it was so easy to just scratch out holes in the sand. Kyoraku smiled, resting his cheek in his hand.

"So is Go. Would you be interested in learning?" Vance hesitated a moment. He was sure Kyoraku would wipe the floor with him. Well… what the hell.

"Sure. Let's do Mancala first, it's simpler," he was pretty sure of that. "Let me get the board…" He went into the den, seeing Nanao curled up on the sofa and completely engrossed in her book. She didn't even notice as he rooted through the china cabinet, finding the box. Then he went back to the kitchen before pulling out the cheap plastic board.

"So, it works like this. We divide the marbles evenly, then put them in the holes…" Vance quickly explained all the rules. Kyoraku frowned as he followed his hands, as he scooped out marbles and showed how to play. "Now, normally you don't put the same number of marbles in all the holes. That prevents you from doing the same thing each time." That was the thing he loved about Mancala, compared to chess. Vance had always thought chess was pointless because it was too damned predictable. Would Go be like that? Maybe.

The first round, Vance won easily. But after that, Kyoraku started getting the hang of it. They were deep in the game when Nanao came into the kitchen.

"You shouldn't play that one," she said as she gently rested a hand on Kyoraku's back. Vance smiled at her as Kyoraku glanced up thoughtfully. "Play that one." Nanao pointed to what was really Kyoraku's best move. "Although you're going to lose," she said critically and Vance laughed as Kyoraku looked wounded.

"Oh? Well, in that case," he made his original play and Vance blinked. What was he…? "I would prefer to lose faster and go to bed with my beautiful Nanao-chan~" His tone was warm with lust and Nanao went a bit pink. Vance laughed and took the kill, scooping up his captured marbles.

"Sounds good to me." His bones were healed and he was ready to go. Although. "Would you like to take me tonight, Kyoraku?" They both gave him startled looks and Vance tilted his head. "What?" They hadn't expected him to take a dick up the ass?

"I… hadn't really expected that from you, Espada-san." What? Vance frowned, wondering if he should take offence.

"You're a very dominant person, Vance," Nanao said and he nodded, understanding a bit. And she had a point… the culture he'd been born into had looked down on fags. He'd hidden the fact that he kind of liked cock when he'd joined the mob. But…

"I want to make this work," he was committed to this. "And I don't think Kyoraku would let me top him, yet," from the look on his face, definitely not. "And I'm not that straight. The merc company was a sausage fest." That made Nanao smile and Kyoraku chuckle. "Hueco Mundo's even worse. I was thinking, though, that he could take me while I eat you out." That was a pretty image. Nanao's cheeks were very pink but she looked at him through her lashes and Vance could tell she liked that thought.

"Ah. That sounds charming. Shall we do that?" Kyoraku asked Nanao and she nodded.

And that was how he ended up kneeling on the bed, Kyoraku behind him and Nanao in front. Vance smiled up at Nanao, gently stroking her thighs. She smiled back, still wearing her glasses but her hair was loose, flowing around her shoulders. Vance gasped softly as Shunsui started preparing him, his fingers coated in lube. That felt good and Nanao's sex looked like a beautiful pink flower. Smiling at the thought, Vance went to work, gently sucking on her clit. She gasped softly, a hand tangling in his hair and Vance enjoyed the musk of her arousal. Then Kyoraku found his prostate and he groaned, low in his throat. That was nice…

It got even nicer when Shunsui went into his body. It burned a little but Vance was very familiar with that and when Kyoraku scraped over his prostate, ah, that was good.

"You are tight in here…" Kyoraku's voice sounded a bit high and Vance made it worse, deliberately tightening his muscles for a moment. "Ah kami stop that!" Hehehe… then Nanao was gripping his hair with both hands and Vance gave all his attention to her. She tasted so sweet and he knew all the things she liked best, thumbing her clit as he thrust his tongue deep into her channel and tasted her sweet fluids.

Then Kyoraku's hand was circling his length and Vance was a bit surprised at how skillful he was. A few male lovers? Maybe more than a few. Or all that time wanking in the shower? Then that thought went out the window as Kyoraku hit his prostate again. Damn, it was hard to concentrate! Nanao was gasping though and her thighs were trembling and Vance knew she was enjoying this a lot. He decided to switch things up, sucking on her clit as he slid his fingers into her slippery sex. The way her insides grabbed his fingers told him everything he needed to know about how much she was getting into this.

The delicious mating went on, Kyoraku's thrusts becoming faster and Vance could feel hot breath against the back of his neck. That hand on his cock was great but what made him cum was Nanao. His hands tightened in his hair and Vance felt her sex tense before suddenly rippling, undulating around his fingers as she came. Her cry of pleasure was amazing and the next thrust of Shunsui's cock put him over the edge. Vance pulled back with a heavy gasp as he spilled over Shunsui's hand and onto the blankets. The man behind him jerked and stiffened before erupting. Vance felt that member inside him, the hot pulse as he came. It felt pretty good…

Vance rested his forehead on the bed, his hand on Nanao's thigh. He felt Shunsui leaving his body and looked up with a lazy smile, meeting Nanao's eyes for a moment before kissing the inside of her thigh.

"Bella donna," Vance murmured. "Sei la mia rosa." _You are my rose._ Vance felt the bed creak as Kyoraku moved up beside them.

"I love the sound of that… say some more, please," Nanao said and Vance couldn't help it. He was a dumbass.

"Ti faccio eccitare bambino?" he asked, looking up at her with a hopeful expression. Then Vance snorted, amused at his own wit. Kyoraku was looking a little unhappy, probably because Vance was getting all the attention, but now he was puzzled. Then Nanao slapped him on the top of his head.

"Vance! What did that mean?" Nanao demanded and Vance snorted again before looking up with a smile.

"It means, do I make you horny baby?" he said and Nanao stared at him for a moment before scowling and swatting him again. But it didn't hurt and he could tell that was her pretend bitchy face.

"Oh, you and your jokes… get up here and go to sleep." She said firmly and Vance moved to obey, still chuckling. Kyoraku chuckled too and Vance was glad the other man appreciated his sense of humor. Soon they were all settled and dropping off to sleep.

* * *

" _Baby, why do you do this?! Why do you bring that in the house?"_

" _I was thirsty. You don't need to drink it."_

" _But I will! Baby, why? I want to get better for you! I don't want to see bruises on your beautiful skin! Please, you need to stop doing this!" Brown eyes filled with tears and warm lips on his._

" _I love you Vance."_

 _The argument always ended like that and he never understood why and by the time he did understand it was far too late…_

* * *

Vance woke up out of the dream with a start. For a moment, he was confused about where he was. He glanced around and honestly expected to see a cheap garret room, some rat droppings in the corners, with only a bit of peeling paint. But no, it was different… then his gaze settled on the other two people on the bed and reality began to come back. He could easily imagine Nanao with red hair but Kyoraku couldn't fit into that past.

"Shit," he breathed, feeling closed in, like the air was too heavy. Claustrophobic. Carefully easing out of the bed… he was on the edge again, thank god… Vance grabbed his black clothing and quickly pulled it on. It felt damned good, to wear what he wanted.

The cold night air on his face was like a slap in the face, and that helped a little with his mood. Vance breathed it in for a moment before walking down to that park. He liked that little park and he liked the little bridge. It was a great place to just stand and smoke a cigarette, looking into the dark water.

Vance was on his second cigarette, staring into the water and seeing the reflections of the moon, when a soft footstep came to him. Vance hardly reacted at all when Kyoraku settled in beside him, his kimono brushing the wood as he rested an arm on the railing of the bridge. Then Vance sighed, breathing out a cloud of smoke.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," he was always so careful not to disturb Nanao, when he had nights like this. It seemed it was a bit harder to get around Kyoraku.

"It's fine. I'm just a light sleeper, and I can always make it up later." Hah! How true. "What's wrong, Vance-san?" he asked and Vance gazed up at the moon. It was full tonight, didn't look much like Hueco Mundo.

"Just a dream," he said and they stood together in silence for a while, Vance smoking his cigarette as Kyoraku patiently waited. Finally, he sighed and started talking. "About the woman I loved, the woman I killed." God that hurt so much to remember. The pain had never really gone away, in all his life. It had just dulled, like an old, mostly healed wound that still hurt when you pressed on it. Kyoraku hummed softly and Vance glanced at him. His expression was thoughtful.

"Tell me," he said and Vance wondered if he should. He wasn't proud of the past. On the other hand, it was still part of him and maybe then Kyoraku would take his problem seriously.

"I guess I could start with my parents. My dad, he was a drunk," Vance said, remembering as he flicked some ashes into the water. "But he was more like you. He owned a herd of dairy cows and he made the best fucking cheeses in the valley and after work was done, he'd go down to the bar to drink a little and sing. It was just a joke… where's old Vance? Oh down at the tavern again." Vance sighed, looking at his cigarette. "It was never a joke for me, because I'm like my mom. She didn't go off too often but god, her temper… I remember hiding under the table when she threw plates at my dad. He ran off to go to the bar and she cursed for a while before pulling her shit together," that was what he clearly remembered because she'd closed her eyes and counted to ten. Damn, he was so much like her. "Then she pulled me out and hugged me and said she was sorry, it was her grandma's temper. Wish I hadn't gotten it," he probably still wouldn't have been a good drunk but it wouldn't have been so damned dangerous.

"Anyway, I started drinking when I was a nipper," Kyoraku didn't understand so Vance amplified. "Maybe, I don't know, twelve? I started getting into the liquor cabinet. First it was the wine, then the grappa. I loved the taste but I really loved the way it made me feel… I don't know what it is about getting drunk that pulls me in so much," it was like being free, uplifted, somehow. "I was fifteen when I got into my first big fight and had to leave town. I went to the coast." A seaside city, big enough to lose himself. "I got a job there was a longshoreman and that's when I met my woman."

"I met her when I was half-drunk and looking for a fight. A man had knocked her to the ground and was kicking her, calling her an ugly cunt," Kyoraku frowned at the word but Vance was being historically accurate. "So I started beating the shit out of him." One of the few times he'd done something good while he was drunk. "I might've killed him but she grabbed my arm when I had him down and told me no, he was her dad," Kyoraku's eyes widened at that. "And he was right she was just an ugly bitch and please stop." Vance breathed out a cloud of smoke, remembering. "I got my first good look at her and it actually took me back for a moment because she had a birthmark all over the side of her face. Looked like someone had splattered her with shit." It had been ugly, he was not going to lie. Yet, somehow, that just hadn't mattered to him. "I grabbed her and told her she was not ugly, he was ugly for doing that to his own girl and I thought she was beautiful. She looked at me like I was crazy but wonderful and when I ran off, she went with me." They'd run away together.

"That was such a crazy year," Vance said before tossing his finished cigarette into the river. It hissed for a moment before washing away and he drew out another, using his lighter this time. "We were so in love but we were both sick in the head. I don't think I have to tell you how bad that is," Kyoraku shook his head and Vance wasn't surprised. He was a thousand years old, he'd probably had a few crazy love affairs. "I tried to stop drinking, that was how much I loved her. But she kept bringing it in the flat and I couldn't resist," Vance felt a soul deep pain as he remembered. "I never understood why, at the time. But somewhere in Africa, I figured it out." It had just been maturity and understanding how people worked, along with getting control of his own demons. Vance had realized what her demon had been. "She thought she was ugly and I was like an angel come down to earth. And she thought that if I got well, I wouldn't want her anymore," Vance shook his head. "The only thing I could have done was leave her but that might have killed her too." He'd never even considered doing it at the time, he'd loved her too much, but with the maturity of age Vance could see that staying had only made things worse. Yet, would she have killed herself if he'd walked out? Maybe.

"Anyway, I beat her all the time when I was drunk. One day I woke up and she was dead in the kitchen," Vance said, breathing out a cloud of smoke. "I tried to hang myself but the rope was an old piece of shit, it came with the flat. It broke halfway through and I knew I couldn't do it again, so I got on a ship going anywhere. I didn't even care… ended up on the coast of Africa and just kept going." Vance shrugged before looking at Kyoraku. He was gazing into the water, his expression sad and a bit thoughtful. "I swore from that day onward, I'd never drink anything harder than small beer. And I never did." Small beer was needed for water safety. He loved living in a place where you could actually drink the water. "So that's my story. What's yours?" He asked and Kyoraku blinked before looking at him.

"Hm?" he said and Vance smiled before flicking a bit of ash in the water.

"Why do you drink, Kyoraku? Do you just like the way it makes you feel or is there a little more to it?" Vance had a feeling there might be. There was a long silence and he waited patiently.

"I do like the taste of sake and the way it makes me feel," Kyoraku finally said. "And alcoholism runs in my family, I'm sure you've heard that." Vance had, actually. The Kyoraku clan wasn't what they had been but they were still around and hanging out in the taverns. "But I think, sometimes, I just want to forget." Forget what? "Have you ever wondered, Vance-san, where your soul will go?" What? Vance couldn't hide his puzzlement and Kyoraku amplified. "When you are purified?" …Hah!

"I know where it will go. I've already been purified," Vance said with a smile and Kyoraku gave him a wide-eyed look.

"What?! That doesn't make any sense!" Kyoraku exclaimed and Vance chuckled. It did, it was just unusual.

"I died and a shinigami purified me," he explained as Kyoraku looked at him like he was nuts. "See, I was just hanging around all confused when a guy in funny robes told me it was time to move on. I was like, so, I haven't been the best guy in the world. Am I going to Hell?" Vance paused as he remembered. "He was honest about it and said I might. I thought about it a moment and said, well fuck, if it's going to happen it's going to happen and I should hurry up and give the devil an arse kicking. So lay it on me." The shinigami had thought he was pretty funny, he'd laughed just before giving him konso. "And I came out into a field of hollows," Vance shook off a bit of ash into the water before pointing his cigarette at Kyoraku and speaking in a chiding tone. "You were not doing your job," he said and Kyoraku blinked.

"Anyway, I thought, oh shit I was right this is Hell and then one of them noticed and went for me," now he knew he'd just come out into a high numbered slum that someone hadn't cleaned up for a while, but at the time he'd been clueless. "And I went and tried to kick the devil in the ass. Actually managed to break the first one's back." Had he been spiritually powerful as a plus soul? Who knew. "The others turned on it and started eating and I tried to make a run for it, but one of them had these tentacles that speared me in the back. And that was the end of me." Vance shrugged before dropping his second cigarette into the water. "But I know I'm not going to Hell. Hell must have really high standards." Maybe he wasn't hell-bound because he'd been trying. All though his life, he'd been trying to be someone better. Vance hadn't succeeded a lot of the time, but he'd been trying.

"Ah, I see. I wish I was as certain." Kyoraku said with a sigh and Vance blinked. He was worried he might go to Hell when he died? He watched the man for a moment, his profile in the moonlight. He looked tired and morose. "I've done many things I'm not proud of, over the centuries. Sometimes, I wonder how soiled my soul must be… and then I drink a bit to forget." …Ah.

"Are you thinking about Starrk?" That was the one thing Vance knew that Shunsui might regret, mostly because the poor fucker's death had been pointless. There was a pause and then Kyoraku nodded.

"He seemed so young to me," he said quietly and Vance stared at him for a moment, honestly shocked. "Like a wounded child… I'm not sure why I felt that way."

"Because you are scarily perceptive," Vance said, amazed. He blew out a cloud of smoke as Kyoraku looked at him. "I noticed that about Starrk, but only after I talked to him a few times," he couldn't talk to the Primera much, his resting spiritual pressure had been a bit painful back then. "So I asked him how old he was when he died. He got all sad before telling me he'd died at Lilynette's age. Then he showed me his true form… he was just a kid." Kyoraku looked even more depressed and Vance frowned at him. "But you shouldn't feel bad. Hell, you purified him, keep an eye out for him at the Academy." Unless Starrk went to the Living World. They weren't really sure about that.

"Ah. Yes, I suppose you're right. There's more than that to regret, however," Kyoraku said and Vance could hear the aching pain, the soul deep regret in his voice. It made him wonder how many bad things he'd seen, over the centuries. Vance had seen some incredible shit in Africa but he was sure Shunsui had him beat, hands down. "Ah, but we need to go back to bed." He was right, time was passing.

"Well, anytime you want to talk about it, I'll listen." Vance offered. He'd done most of the talking tonight but that was alright. Vance had a feeling that Kyoraku wasn't ready to talk about his demons yet, but he might be in time. And Vance was sure he had demons.

Everything Shunsui'd said so far seemed a bit too simple.


	6. Play My Game

Vance woke up the next morning to the sun in his eyes and the sound of water running.

Shifting slightly, he sighed and breathed in the smell of the sheets. Sweat and sex, it was a nice, warm scent, one he could bathe in. But reality intruded and Vance pried his eyes open before glancing out the window. The sun was well up, it was time to get moving.

Pulling himself out of bed, Vance frowned as he realized he didn't smell any food cooking. Why wouldn't Nanao be making breakfast? Wait, was she in the shower? Vance's frown deepened for a moment before he suddenly grinned. Ah, of course! Sniffing the air, he confirmed his hunch.

"Randy bastard." Kyoraku was fucking Nanao in the shower. "Is he a teenager or something?" How long had Kyoraku been celibate, trying to catch his woman? "Hm." This… was a problem. Vance shook his head before getting dressed. He tossed on his uniform before going to the kitchen. If they were going to fuck in the shower, he would have to make breakfast. He grabbed an apron before he started. If he tried to cook without it he'd get grease on his uniform, sure as shit.

It took a while but just as he was plating all the food, Kyoraku and Nanao came into the kitchen. Nanao was looking flushed while Kyoraku was really pleased with himself.

"Good morning! Breakfast is served!" Vance said brightly as he set out the final plate. Nanao looked at the food in surprise. "The bacon's burnt, the eggs are scrambled 'cause I broke the yokes, don't mind the shells, and the congee is kinda con-don't." He'd fucked that up good. Evaporated milk was way too sweet. "But eat up because if you don't you are LATE!" Nanao glanced sharply at the clock as Kyoraku stared at him, mildly perplexed.

"Oh no, he's right! You need to eat quickly!" She pushed a bemused Shunsui into his seat as Vance sniffed the congee. Should he even bother? Deciding they could at least have a go, he spooned out that glop in its own set of bowls. Then he sat down to have a nibble, mostly to keep them company.

"…How did you manage to get the eggs overcooked and undercooked at the same time?" Kyoraku asked after a while. Vance shrugged.

"It's a gift," he said and Nanao snorted before giving him a smile. "Try the congee if you want a real experience." Shunsui looked at that bowl dubiously before taking a tiny taste. Then he looked revolted and pushed it away. Vance didn't blame him a bit. "Next time, you can do the cooking and I'll get the shower sex." He'd make that trade any day.

"Absolutely not." Kyoraku said firmly before taking a big bite of his eggs. Nanao shook her head at them both.

"Neither one of you is getting shower sex unless it's a day off. I never should have let you talk me into that." Her scolding tone didn't fool either of them and Shunsui's smile was something to see. Ah, young love, it was wonderful. "Now eat faster or there will be a hell butterfly arriving to tell you how late you are." Ouch!

It really didn't take them long but to Vance's utter dismay, a butterfly flitted into the room just as they were putting away the dishes.

"What the fuck! We're not even late yet, you asshole!" he complained as the insect disgorged its message.

 _Kyoraku Shunsui, Valenncoro –_ Tousen knew he hated that name! – _You are both late. Kyoraku, report to the Seventh District immediately. Vance, meet me in the Third._ Well SHIT he was going to be working with Tousen? Wasn't it just his lucky day.

"Vaffanculo." He snarled at the poor insect. Then Vance took a deep breath and counted to ten as Kyoraku touched the insect and gave a quick and cheerful acknowledgement. The day had started on a good note, he needed to keep that up. "We are not even late." Vance grumbled as Shunsui fetched his hat.

"On Tousen time, we are. Don't you know you are always supposed to be fifteen minutes early?" Kyoraku's tone was light but didn't fool him. "Well, I'll see you tonight. Don't let the Butcher beat you half to death again!" …Vance wanted to warn him not to take the Butcher lightly. But, well, Kyoraku knew that right?

"Don't let Kuhara eat your eyeballs. You wouldn't be as awesome at being blind as Tousen." Vance retorted and on that slightly sour note, they went their separate ways. Soon he was working with Tousen and goddamn.

Could this day suck anymore?

* * *

Kyoraku Shunsui hummed softly to himself as he led the reorganized Eighth Division in patrolling the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Districts.

It had been five years since Aizen had ascended to the Soul King's throne and forced change on Soul Society. The sting of failure still bit at him, when he thought about it. So many shinigami had died when the arrancar had sacked the city. However, life went on and things were even starting to settle down a bit. Maybe, in another decade, life would actually be back to normal.

The higher districts of the Rukongai did not look normal at the moment. Shunsui frowned, adjusting his hat as he saw how the few people on the streets were moving. They were scuttling around in a furtive way, as though they were afraid hellfire might rain down on them at any moment. Which, unfortunately, it might. The Hell-souls didn't care about casualties and the arrancar weren't much better.

Ah, arrancar. Shunsui's mind went to the annoying, inconvenient arrancar in his life. For many years, he'd hated the bastard. Shunsui still wasn't fond of Vance. He was willing to accept that Nanao hadn't been raped, but Vance had still been forced into her life. And more than anything, Shunsui wanted Nanao to himself. Her beautiful smile, the light in her eyes when she said his name… ah, it was bliss. And he loved it when she scowled at him and scolded him but they both knew Nanao didn't really mean it. For so many years, Shunsui had just wanted to sweep her into his arms and kiss her soundly. Why hadn't he done it? Because she would have slapped him and told him to go to Hell and _meant_ it and that would have just broken his heart.

Vance had been the one to find out why that was, and begin breaking through her resistance. Shunsui tilted back his hat, scanning around him for anything amiss as he thought. It was annoying to admit, but he'd never guessed Nanao had taken her family curse so much to heart. Ah, that silliness. Vance was right, the women in her family had a genius for making their curse come true. Picking a man with a heart condition… well, they had been very much in love. But then blaming his death on the curse?

He'd been thinking about Vance though. Shunsui could see the arrancar was trying to be accommodating. Sex last night, when he'd taken the man… it had been good, Shunsui would admit it. It was still so hard though. He just really wanted Nanao to himself.

Something nudged his awareness and Shunsui immediately devoted all his attention to the surroundings as his instincts pinged of _danger._ He flipped out a sword and easily met a rush of hair?

"Shunsui." That voice was far too familiar and he suppressed a chill. Kuhara Rey. "It's been so long."

"Not long enough, my dear," Shunsui said easily as he turned to look at her. It was hard to recognize her. The woman he'd known had been vibrant and alive, her hair jet black and her body warm and inviting. He'd thought she was beautiful, until he'd perceived the rot beneath. Now, Kuhara appeared wasted, her body gaunt beneath her black clothing. Her hair was dead white and the mask hid her face. The only thing that Shunsui could say had not changed were her eyes. They were still that piercing shade of green that seemed to see inside his soul. It had been entrancing, when he'd just been a boy. "I really would have thought your soul would be gone by now." From his understanding, that was how Hell worked. The evil souls were eventually rendered into nothing but pure reiatsu which was then returned to the cycle.

"I've been hanging on, just for you. I knew there would be an opportunity… but not today." Eh? Shunsui felt the movement and turned, catching a cleaver with his sword as he saw the man-monster that had to be the Butcher. His size was impressive but the power behind his strike was not. Was this what Vance had fallen to? Shunsui's lips curled into a small smile. "You hadn't mastered your shikai when I knew you, but I'm sure you have now." Kuhara's voice floated through the air and Shunsui kept his senses on her, but she was doing nothing. "He will force you to show me what you can do." …That was so like her. And it would have been intelligent if this man had been powerful enough to do it.

They fought back and forth for a while as Shunsui got the measure of the Butcher. He didn't need his shorter sword. The lunatic was giggling and seemed to be enjoying himself, which was only mildly disconcerting. Shunsui knew exactly how he would end this battle. He just had to get the Butcher focused enough on him and it was broad daylight. There were plenty of shadows.

At the perfect opportunity, he focused his reiatsu on a shadow, creating an after image of himself. Then he moved with all his speed to catch the Butcher by surprise. It worked –

Not in the slightest bit. Shunsui's eyes went wide as the Butcher turned and he briefly saw the flash of a grin beneath the monster's mask before the cleaver clashed with his blade. Shunsui's breath went out in a gasp as he felt the power behind the man's strike nearly _triple._ There was insane tittering as the Butcher moved with a speed he hadn't shown and Shunsui tried to avoid, but he couldn't, caught too much by surprise at his own failure. A hand tangled in his hair and he was vaguely aware of incredible speed before he went facedown into rocky ground.

That blow knocked him out, just for a brief moment, and Shunsui blinked in shock as he found himself lying on a forest floor. Above him, there was a very familiar face, one eye covered with a patch and framed with purple curls.

"You foolish man." Kyokotsu mocked him as the assassin part of his blade, Katen, moved into view. She said nothing but Shunsui could feel the weight of her disappointment. "He gulled you most perfectly, in your arrogant assumptions of superiority. All because of your desire to outdo another man. How does it feel, to have your games turned against you?" Shunsui quickly sorted out what she meant.

"I… misjudged." He'd thought Vance was overstating the danger. After all, the Tercero was his inferior in terms of reiatsu and skill. However… "Vance understated the danger." Shunsui could see it so clearly now. Vance hadn't wanted to look like he was whining in front of Tousen and Aizen so while his account had been completely factual, it hadn't truly portrayed the monster he'd faced.

"Vastly. We have been watching as you fought, and we have seen him clearly. The cunning of a beast, the mind of a small child and the soul of a murderer." Kyokotsu's smile was wide and wicked, taunting him. Shunsui swallowed at the description. That was what he faced? "Will you survive? We're not sure. But you should move very quickly, he is about to smash your skull." Then he was jerked out of his inner world.

Shunsui rolled instantly and the foot that would have crushed his skull hit the ground instead, with a flare of blue power. He rode that power, using it to get a bit of distance between him and the Butcher. Both weapons came out then and Shunsui wondered what he'd been thinking, using just his long blade. Katen Kyokotsu was right, it had been so arrogant.

"Aww. Wanted to see brains." The Butcher said, very disappointed as Shunsui muttered a quick couplet for shikai. It was unfortunate that he couldn't use bankai. Hopefully he wouldn't need it.

"Butcher! Remember, don't kill him! His brains are mine," Kuhara called and Shunsui grimaced at the thought. Would she eat those too?

"Okay." The Butcher said agreeably and rushed at him. Shunsui blocked the blow, feeling the incredible strength behind it and seeing sparks fly. Now he understood why the Tercero had nearly died. Narrowing his eyes, he concentrated on the battle.

The Butcher had very little technique but made up for it with speed and strength. Shunsui found he had to use every bit of his skill to keep the monster away, but overall he thought he was winning. He'd wounded the man several times and blood was staining those black robes. Yet, he hardly seemed to feel the injuries.

 _I'll let you use Daruma-san ga Koronda, but only to see how badly you'll lose._ Katen Kyokotsu said merrily and Shunsui grimaced. That was the last power he intended to use, since he still didn't know how the Butcher had detected Kageokuri. Although one reason was that he hadn't been engaged in the battle as much as Shunsui had thought. Perhaps he was now? _Why don't you ask? He's an idiot, he might tell you._

"How did you detect me, before?" Shunsui asked, taking that advice. The Butcher giggled.

"Smelled you." Ah. He definitely shouldn't use Daruma then. Daruma and Kageokuri weren't much good on opponents who could smell you, which was why he hadn't used them on Starrk. Hollows were notorious for being scent trackers. "You smell like semen." …And this just went to a very awkward place. "And a woman." DAMN!

"Oh really?! He has a lover? Is it someone you know? Tell me more!" Kuhara called and Shunsui wanted to stab her. Instead, he called on his more physical powers. She knew about them anyway.

"Bushogoma!" The whirlwind encircled the monster and Shunsui attacked from above. "Takaoni!" The Butcher was confused and the blow landed perfectly. The explosion that followed was impressive and he easily leapt away, looking back.

"Ow." And that was a little disappointing. The Butcher was injured, his clothing a bit on fire, but only seemed annoyed. "Don't like that game. Play something else." He sounded like he was pouting. "Or we play my game instead." Shunsui frowned internally at that. Vance hadn't mentioned any special abilities but he'd been overwhelmed by two powerful opponents. Did this monster have something in reserve?

 _I'll let you play Irooni. He wouldn't fall for Takaoni again anyway._ True enough. Should he call black or white? They were the only colors available. And when? Shunsui knew he would have to be very careful. If he made his call at the wrong time, he could be killed.

"Irooni." Shunsui spoke to the name of the game when he saw a good moment. "Black!" He aimed for the Butcher's chest but then the man threw something at him? He caught it on his blade –

And it exploded all over him. For a brief moment Shunsui was blind and operating on instincts and reiatsu sensing. He managed to catch the blow that would have killed him and retreated, wiping the gunk out of his eyes. As he did, he registered the scent of paint? Vaguely, he heard Katen Kyokotsu's howling laughter in the back of his mind.

"She tell me about colors." The Butcher sounded incredibly pleased with himself. "I cheat! My idea!" Shunsui took a split second to look down at himself and saw he'd just been hit with some kind of paint tag. He was now covered in orange, green and neon purple.

 _That does make things rather difficult, doesn't it?_ Katen Kyokotsu said merrily as he took a deep breath. It was the first time in his life someone had actually countered the color game. How could Vance have such an incredible enemy? Shunsui only realized he'd said that aloud when Kuhara's voice floated to him.

"It is remarkable, isn't it? But in Hell, all that matters is the strength of the mind. That stupid little hollow has two of the most terrible enemies you could imagine!" Two? Vance might be having fun today then, meeting the other one. Shunsui couldn't spare any concern for that, though.

"Play my game now," the Butcher said with a giggle and blue light flared. Blue seemed like such a pure color yet somehow, it felt putrid to Shunsui. It flowed around them both and his eyes narrowed as it formed a dome? His reiatsu sensing registered an alien and terrible miasma around him.

Then the ground gave way and he had to leap to a nearby walkway. Walkways were forming out of grey stone and when he tried to use his reiatsu to fly, Shunsui found he couldn't. Glancing down he saw bubbling green, far below, and swallowed as he saw large hands trying to reach out of it. Attempting to grasp them? They couldn't get close but falling into that… The Butcher tittered again.

"That Hell. Don't fall," he advised and Shunsui set his jaw before leaping to a different walkway and launching his own attack. Their weapons clashed and the madman howled again, ending in that annoying titter.

As the battle continued, though, Shunsui realized he was in a great deal of trouble. The walkways over the dreadful void were crumbling, gradually vanishing. There was a time limit on the Butcher's 'game'. And while Shunsui thought he was winning he wasn't winning _quickly._ Narrowing his eyes, he tried to puzzle it out. How could he defeat this monster in time? Then he had to jump fast as the Butcher smashed the bridge he was on, leaping away as he did so. Kami, the man was too fast and agile!

 _This game plays to his strengths. Although, does he not care that he might also return to Hell?_ Katen Kyokotsu's musings mimicked his own thoughts. The Butcher wasn't going to win quickly either, at this rate. Did he care?

 _Hey, Kyoraku!_ Shunsui blinked at that muffled voice. Vance? _If this kills you I'm sorry!_ …Wait, what? _Gran Rey Cero!_

Shunsui recoiled as the ball of white power smashed though the Butcher's playground. Walkways exploded and he went tumbling – into the ground, as the void beneath vanished. Pulling himself up he saw his opponent had been partially tagged in that explosion. Part of the Butcher's left arm was missing, and the edge of it gleamed with white light. Odd, that the Tercero's power was so white, given that he hated the color.

"Vaaaaance!" The Butcher crooned and Shunsui swallowed as he glanced around, getting a quick read of the situation. He felt a touch relieved as he saw Tousen was there, in that horrible hollow bug form of his. He was wounded but a going concern and currently fighting Kuhara. However, she had no interest in the battle.

"Butcher!" She landed on the Butcher's back and pointed away. "Go, now!"

"Awww." But the monster obeyed, moving with incredible speed. Then he leapt into a shadow and vanished? Tousen stopped in confusion and Kyoraku extended his senses to the utmost. They were most definitely gone.

"Damn." Another power. How many did the man have? Or had that been Kuhara's? Then he felt a hand on his arm and turned his head to see concerned, dark blue eyes.

"You look like shit. You okay?" Vance asked in a low tone and Shunsui nodded. He really wasn't too badly hurt although his face was beginning to throb unpleasantly. Between that and the paint, he likely did look like Hell. Then Tousen flitted over.

"Kyoraku. Your appearance is most unprofessional." For one crazy, exhausted moment Shunsui wondered what would happen if he stabbed Tousen. Would he be executed or just tortured? And if it was torture, would it be _worth_ it?

"Vaffanculo!" Vance exclaimed and Shunsui wondered what that meant. He'd have to ask sometime. "The man has a broken nose and he's covered in PAINT! Show some respect!" Was his nose broken? Reaching up, Shunsui carefully explored it and grimaced. Yes it most certainly was. He also had numerous smaller injuries, all of which were making themselves known.

"Paint?" Tousen sounded taken aback before sniffing the air. "It is paint. Why are you wearing paint?" Shunsui frowned before suddenly realizing. Tousen rarely used this form and without it, he was blind. That was why the paint had confused him.

"It was a paint tag. The Butcher used it to evade my color game." It was vexing but Aizen had compelled him to demonstrate his shikai and describe his bankai to everyone. Shunsui had been tempted to try to hold back a game or two, but it just wasn't wise. His Division would be the ones to suffer if Aizen found out he was keeping secrets. Nor was he the only one… all the surviving taichou had been compelled to reveal their abilities. At least that meant Tousen knew what he was talking about, though.

"Oh. My apologies. I thought you were engaging in a new fashion," Tousen said politely and Shunsui eyed him a touch askance. The man seemed oddly happy, under his usual demeanor. "Tercero, escort Shunsui to the healing Division before returning to me."

"Yes sir." Vance said crisply before lightly touching his shoulder. "C'mon, you need a cleanup." Shunsui nodded before jumping into shunpo. Really, what he needed more than anything was to get the paint off. The Fourth would have spare uniforms and Shunsui was sure he could find one in his size.

"Vance? What does vaffanculo mean?" he asked as they moved and Shunsui smiled as he heard a soft cough from the arrancar.

"Um… fuck off. Literally, it means go get fucked in the ass." Vance muttered and Shunsui glanced over to see a blush on the man's cheeks. "Shouldn't have said that. Tousen might get himself a damned dictionary someday." Hmmm.

"I should suggest that to Nanao-chan," Shunsui said easily and was entertained to see the blush spread a bit. Vance was rather amusing to tease. "Why was Tousen so agreeable?" He asked as they dropped out of shunpo and sonido at the Fourth. Vance shrugged and Shunsui noticed there was a bit of charring on his uniform. He'd fought someone with flame powers.

"No idea when it happened or what the story was behind it, but he fought this guy and Tousen was really happy to gut him. First time I've seen him go all homicidal like, ever." …Hm. That was entirely out of character for Tousen and it made Shunsui very curious. "We'll probably find out what was up with that at the next meeting." Yes, they probably would. "Now I need to scat. Tousen knows exactly how long this should take," Vance grimaced before vanishing in a burst of sonido and Shunsui sighed to himself. He would have liked to ask the Tercero about his second enemy, but it could wait. Shunsui gave himself over to the healers and the first thing they found were rags and turpentine. It stung, when they began removing it from his face, but they needed to see the damage. What should he do with his current uniform? Probably just toss it out. And his poor kimono!

It seemed Vance's bad luck with uniforms was rubbing off.


End file.
